Mission Impossible
by sugarfree25
Summary: Auror Weasley must make sure everything is safe for a wedding. Hermione's wedding. R&R.
1. Back to London

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. **

_Paperwork. Bloody paperwork. It's like__ I'm at Hogwarts once again and__ I 'm writing my __five foot essay on Potions. __Unfortunately, it's not __like Hermione __is here to help me with this._ He stopped. He didn't want to think about her again. Not now. He looked at his watch. It was almost 10 pm. Usually at this time the Auror's Department is empty. Everybody goes home. _Home__, _he sighed. Ron lived alone in a small flat with only one bedroom, a bathroom, a kitchen and a small living room. It was not exactly the most enchanting place in the world.

But right now, all he wanted to do was to get back to his flat. He hated that part of his job. If he knew that being an auror would come along with endless hours behind an office desk, writing detailed reports of his assignments, he would probably never have become one. The truth is that Ron loved the field part of his job. Chasing bad guys, _really bad guys__,_ was exciting. It gave him the motivation to stay sane. He knew what he had to do. Surprisingly, Ron took his job very seriously. Perhaps even more surprising was that the fact that he was really good at it. He was one of the best aurors. Six months ago he got promotion to Captain. The youngest Captain, actually. Being a Captain meant he was in charge of operations. He also was given his own team.

Ron had just come back from a three-month assignment in Ireland. His mission was to capture Robert Green. He was a former Death Eater and follower of You-Know-Who and was responsible for the murder of his wife and her muggle lover. He was hiding in a small village outside Cork. The mission wasn't very difficult. The hard part was picking up his trail. Once they found him his arrest was a piece of cake. He didn't even resist. Maybe it was because he was alone in front of six well-trained Aurors. He had to be crazy or suicidal to put up a fight. Luckily, he wasn't either.

Half an hour later, he finished. He decided to go to the nearby pub to get something to drink. He really needed one after spending almost all day filling out forms. Maybe he needed one because of Hermione. He was trying to forget her and move on. He tried very hard. He became a workaholic. His job was his safe-house. Nobody there knew about Hermione, so nobody asked any questions. Not like his family and friends. He still remembered how everyone was shocked when he and Hermione broke up. He wasn't surprised when everybody assumed that the break-up was his fault. Maybe the fact that Hermione moved immediately to America has something to do with that. He never told anyone what happened between them. If he was honest with himself, he didn't know either. He knew why they broke up. He just didn't know whose fault it was anymore.

He walked in and went to the bar. "What can I get you, handsome?" he heard a woman's voice say.

Ron raised his head and saw the barmaid. She was a drop-dead gorgeous blonde with green eyes and beautiful curves that made every guy in that bar drool. In one word HOT. "Just a firewhiskey" he said.

She brought the drink and she winked at him. Ron knew very well how his night was going to end. Ron had developed into a very attractive man. His was tall and well-built, but those were not his strongest points. His eyes were the big draw. His blue, melancholic eyes could melt even the coldest woman's heart. Women would see his broken look and for some reason find him, irresistible. However, he also knew that women didn't want anything more from him than a good shag. They could tell that he was a mess and wasn't ready for a serious relationship.

The alarm clock started ringing and Ron saw it was 8 am. He woke up and went to the bathroom. After a shower and shave, he came back to get dressed for work. He picked out a pair of jeans and a white shirt. He got dressed quickly and decided to have breakfast at Lisey's. Lisey's is a café, right next to the Ministry that serves all-day breakfast. He put his black lather jacket on and was ready to go. At that moment he noticed that the sexy blonde was still asleep. He took a piece of parchement and wrote. "_Hey, i'm off to work. Had a nice night. See ya….__"_

It was almost noon when Nancy came in his office. She is Chief Fletcher's secretary. "Mr Weasley, I came to inform you that boss wants to see you in his office in 20 minutes." she said.

Nancy was a beautiful 20-year old with brown curly hair and chocolate eyes. In many ways, she was like Hermione. She was also very passionate with reading. Ron often found her in the Ministry's cafeteria reading a book. He loves that she reads books and not just magazines. That's why he always flirts with her, but was unfortunately, not very successfully.

"Nancy, how many times I must tell you to call me Ron? I'm only two years older than you. You made me feel old when you called me Mr Weasley. Do I look that old?" he teased her.

"No, Mr Wea… Ron. You do look very young. Since you are an Auror and I'm a secretary, I must speak to you in the proper way, Captain." she said smiling.

"Captain? I like hearing that from your lips." he said and he walked very close to her and his face was inches from hers. "Call me that again" he whispered in her ears.

"I think i have to go now. Don't forget. Boss's office, twenty minutes" she said and she turned to leave. Before she closed the door,, she added, "Captain" and she left with a mischievous smile.

Ron couldn't help but smile. Twenty minutes later, he found himself outside Chief Fletcher's office. He gave Nancy a wink as he went inside.

"Sir, you asked to see me?" he asked.

"Yes, Weasley, come and sit. Do you want a cup of tea?"

"No, Sir, thank you. I'm in a bit of a hurry, actually." he said trying to avoid chit-chat.

"Going to see the family?"

"Yes, Sir. It's been 3 months. I really miss them." he lied. He didn't lie about missing them. He really miss them. He lied about going see them. The truth is that he hadn't visit the Burrow over the last year. He couldn't stand his mother's looks everytime she saw him. They were a mix of pity and anger. Pity because he was alone and anger because Hermione and he broke up.

"Well, I'll try not to keep you too long then. First, I need to ask if you or any member of your team is hurt from your last mission"

"No, Sir, we were very lucky." he said truthfully.

"That's good to hear. Now, the reason I called you here is because I have another mission for you and your team."

"But, Sir, we just came back from Ireland. We haven't seen our families yet. You can't send us out on a mission so soon." Ron said angrily. Even though his life is a mess, he knew the other members of his team have normal lives. They had a home to go to. They need to spend time with their families. It was only fair after three months of absence.

"Relax, Weasley. I'm not talking about another hunt and capture. This has nothing to do with the usual business. This mission is very simple actually, and it's right here in London."

"If it's simple, Sir, then why do you need us? I'm sure there are other teams here doing nothing. Why is this mission assigned to us? Sorry, Sir, but that's seems unfair, since we just returned." Ron yelled still angry.

"Lower your voice, Weasley. Remember where you are and who are you talking to. The only reason you are assigned to this mission is because he is your friend and he asked for you specifically. He said he only trusts you with this."

"He? Who is he?" he asked with curiosity.

"Harry Potter."

"Harry? Harry's here?" he couldn't understand. What could Harry possibly want from him that he personally couldn't handle. "Last time I saw him was a year ago. What is this mission all about?" he asked again now giving his full attention to Fletcher.

"He wants to make sure everything is safe for a wedding ceremony."

Now, nothing made sense. "I don't understand. Wedding ceremony? But he is already married to my sister. Who is getting married?" Ron asked still not understanding what was going on.

"Well, let me see." He took out a file and after searching his papers for a while he said. "It's the marriage of Joshua Norton and Hermione Granger."

Ron froze. That couldn't possibly be true. "What? Is this a joke?" he asked.

"No. Mr Potter was very serious about this. He left instructions for you to meet him at his place tomorrow afternoon. He'll give you the details then."

"Wait, wait, wait... Who's says I'm going to do it?" Ron said while the anger inside him raised every second.

"I say so. And now if you please..." Fletcher said showing him the door and leaving no room for further discussion.

Ron stormed out the office and he failed to notice that Nancy was waiting for him with a smile and a book on her hands. It was the Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk. It was a muggle book. It was not her taste, but she knew the title would make him want to read it. It was her present for his birthday. His birthday was a week ago, but he was still in Ireland. She tried to talk to him, but he didn't stop. She slowly sat on her chair again and she put the book on her desk. _I suppose i'll give it to him some other day__,_she thought sadly. She had everything planned. She was going to give him the book and then she knew that once again he would ask her out. Only this time she planned to say yes.

*** T****his is my first attempt to write a fic. It's good? Bad? Indiferrent? Should I continue? Please leave a review. I really want to know what you are thinking xxxxx**


	2. Potter's house

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter**

Professor Potter left Hogwarts at 2 pm to go home. Everybody was shocked when Harry resigned from the Auror Department to be a teacher at Hogwarts. In truth, Harry was tired of all the killings and the time-consuming missions. Every time there was a new assignment, he felt like he was betraying Ginny.

After the War, he had promised her that they would have a nice quiet life, but his job always got in the way. Yes, he wanted a better place for him and his family, but he defeated Voldemort. Hadn't he done enough? After spending his Hogwarts years battling Voldemort and Death Eaters, he didn't care about what all the other evil people were doing.

He only really cares about Ginny, Teddy and their baby. That's why after McGonagall offered him the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, he took it without a second thought.

Now his life is exactly like he always wanted. He and Ginny bought a bit of land about a year ago with a perfect little house; it was right next to a beautiful lake and a small Quidditch field, but was not too fancy. He hated when rich people displayed their wealth trying to impress others. Harry knew that having money means nothing if you don't have happiness. That's why he always loathed the Malfoys and loved the Weasleys.

When they bought that house, they held a dinner to celebrate. Everybody except Hermione was there. Even Ron. All night he was with little Teddy telling him how great the Cannons are. Of course, Teddy didn't really understand what Ron was telling him, but nevertheless he was enjoying spending time with him. Teddy loves his uncle Ron. Or he used to. Now after a year of absence Harry doubts if Teddy even remembered who Ron is.

That housewarming was the last time he saw him. Harry knew that Ron was avoiding his family, but he never understood why he stopped being his best friend. When Ron and Hermione broke up, everybody was sad, but Harry was devastated. He didn't show it though. He kept all his disappointment to himself. The Golden Trio was gone. It was his biggest fear and now it was a reality.

Ron threw himself into his job and Hermione went to another continent because it was too hard for her to deal with the new situation. She sends an owl twice a month, telling him all her news and asking questions about everyone. Well, everyone except Ron.

Harry remembered about a year and a half ago when he sent her an owl telling her that Ron was at St. Mungo's, with a broken right hand, a broken right leg, bruises, cuts all over his body, and second-degree burns on his left shoulder. It was after his first mission. Harry thought that Hermione would come to see him. If anything, he knew she still loved him. But Hermione never came. She sent an owl back telling him that she was very busy. She told him to give Ron and his family her wishes for a quick recovery though. Of course, Harry said nothing to the family. How could he tell the Weasleys that a girl who was like a daughter to them would ever send such a cold response. They would hate her and Ron would be crushed. After that, he never wrote a word to her about Ron.

He continues writing letters to her. She and Ron are his best friends and that is something that is never going to change. Or that's what Harry chooses to believe. Because the truth is that he and Hermione are now just pen pals. Pen pals! How ironic is that? After everything they went through, he ends up being just an acquaintance to her like Viktor Krum. But it was better than nothing.

Nothing is what he and Ron share. Ron never writes letters, never comes for dinner, never comes to birthdays celebrations like his, Ginny's, Teddy's and all the other Weasleys. He sends gifts though, so that must means he thinks about them.

Ten minutes later, he was in Hogsmeade and he apparated to his home. Ginny was in the kitchen preparing their midday meal. He walked to her and gave her a sweet kiss.

"How is my beautiful wife today?" he asked.

"Fat. She's always fat." she answered with a grumpy face.

"Baby, you're not fat. You're pregnant." he said touching her belly.

"Potatoe, potato" she said back with a smile.

Harry kissed her again. God, he loves this woman. "Teddy is asleep?" he asked and Ginny nodded.

_Ok, now or never_ he thought. "Ron's coming here today."

"What? How come? I thought that stupid git of a brother had forgotten about us." Ginny said angrily.

"Well, he's not coming for a visit. He's coming for a job." he said.

"A job? I don't understand!" she asked clearly confused.

"Listen Ginny, there is something I haven't told you yet, but I think it's best if you hear it this afternoon with Ron. It's not something pleasant; well, I suppose it could be, but it depends on how you look at it. Right now, I want to eat and have a nap because I know your brother will be mad at me and I'm going to need all my strength to deal with him. Alright, baby?" Harry said looking nervous.

"Harry, you sound serious. Is it something I should be worried about?" She asked concerned.

"No, no, no... It's something about Hermione, ok? Can't we leave it until this afternoon?" he pleaded.

"Alright, Harry. I trust you, and if you say it's nothing I should be worried about. then I'll try to believe you," she said kissing him once again.

_

* * *

Flashback_

_2 years ago._

_It was raining when Ron came home very late. It was almost 3 am. Quickly__,__ he climbed up the stairs and he went to their bedroom. He slowly opened the door and he saw that Hermione wasn't there. He climbed down the stairs and he found her sleeping on the couch with her clothes on. He walked over __to __her and he sat down right next to her. He stared at her while she was sleeping. She was the most beautiful woman in Ron's eyes. And she was his girlfriend. He gently put his hands on her face and caressed her cheek. That seemed to startle Hermione who woke up frightened. When she saw it was Ron she hugged him tightly._

"_My God__,__ Ron, where were you? I was so worried. You said you would be home by 9 pm. I had prepare__d__ dinner for us. I was waiting on the couch for you to come home. I tried to stay awake but I was too tired and I must have __fallen__ asleep. Why are you soaking wet? You need to get rid of these wet clothes immediately. You could catch pneumonia or something. Where were you, Ron? Why didn't__you send an owl to say you are gonna be late. Do you have any idea how worried I was? Honestly__,__ Ronald. That was very immature. I hope you have a good reason for this__.__" Hermione said a little angry__,__ but still hugging him._

"_Are you finished?" he asked her._

"_I'm sorry Ron. I was just scared. Promise me this was the last time, Ronald." she said breaking the hug._

"_Ok, Hermione. I'm sorry. I promise it won't happen again." he said and he tried to kiss her._

"_Good. Now, you haven't answered my question, Ron. Where were you?" she said putting her hand on his chest to stop him __from__ kissing her._

"_I was in a pub with Harry and Neville__,__" he admitted._

"_You were in a pub? I was here afraid __that__ something horrible might have happened to you and you were just having fun with your mates?" she said angrily._

"_I'm sorry__,__L__ove. I__t i__s just that Neville found out that Hannah is pregnant and he wanted to take us out to celebrate. I __got so caught up that I forgot to__owl__ you first. Sorry I made you __worry__." Ron said._

"_Hannah is pregnant? That's wonderful. I'm sure Neville is over the moon right now__.__" she said enthusiastically._

"_And beyond! You should have seen him. He's like the happiest person alive. As for why i'm soak__ing__ wet__, it__ is because I walked here from Neville's house. Harry and I had to take him home because he got really drunk. We couldn't let him apparate in his state. After we took him home, Harry apparate__d__ to his__ house__, but __I__ didn't want to apparate. __Since __Neville's house is only 10 minutes away__,__I__ decided to walk home. Well it__ started to__ rain __while I was walking,__ so that's why __my __clothes __are __wet. I really needed a good walk to clear my head. I'm really sorry__,__ Hermione." he said._

"_Ok, I forgive you. But only because you had a good excuse. __D__on't be late again without __telling me,__ you hear me?" she said __as__ she wrapped her arms around his neck "And now my Knight__,__ take me in your strong arms and lead me to our bed." she added kissing him passionate on the lips. _

"_I'm a __k__night now, huh?" he teased her__,__ kissing her back._

"_Yes. You Are __m__y __s__trong, __b__rave, __s__exy, __w__et, __g__inger __k__night__,__" she said back kissing him after every word. _

_Ron looked her in the eyes and she smiled. He loved that smile. But more __than that, __he loved that this smile was only for him. "I love you Hermione, you know that?" he said looking at he._

"_I love you too, Ron" she said truthfully. She kissed him on the lips and then she hugged him resting her face on his chest. "More than anything__,__" she whispered. _

_They stayed like that for a couple of minutes until Ron broke the hug. She looked at him and she smiled. That gave Ron the courage he need__ed__. "Hermione__,__ this might sound a little sudden__, b__ut I__ have__ really thought about __this__ and __I know__ I want to do it. I told you I love you, but I also want to tell you that I want to spend the rest of my life with you." he said and he knelt down. He put his hand on his right pocket and he __pulled__ out a small box. He opened it and inside was a beautiful diamond ring__ - a__n engagement ring. He looked Hermione in the eyes and he said__,__ "Hermione__,__ will you __m__arry me?"_

_End flashback_

* * *

It was 7 pm when Ron found himself outside of Potter's house. He was mad about Harry, the mission, the wedding, Hermione, and everything. He went there with only one purpose - to get answers, but he decided he needed to calm down a bit. After all, it's been a year since the last time he saw Harry, Ginny, or little Teddy. He missed them so much. Taking a deep breath, he relaxed and he knocked on Potter's door. A few seconds later, Ginny opened the door. Ron smiled at her and he opened his arms to hug her, but Ginny slapped him in the face.

"What the hell, Ginny?" Ron yelled.

"Shut up, Ron! You deserved that! One year? Seriously? You come back after a year and you expect me to hug you? " she yelled back. "You know what; I don't want to waste another minute talking to you. Just come inside and close the door behind you." Ginny said and walked away from him.

_That's a nice welcome_... he muttered. He left the box he was holding on the small table in the living room."So, where is Harry?" Ron asked her.

"I'm right here." Harry said entering the living room. He walked over to Ron and he hugged him. "Good to see you, mate. It's been a while." he said sadly.

"Yeah, I suppose." Ron said with a guilty voice, hugging him back.

Ginny came inside with iced tea and biscuits. "I know how you're always hungry," she said looking at Ron.

"Thanks." Just then he noticed something different about his sister. Her belly was quite large. "Ginny, are you pregnant?" he asked fully aware that this was the case.

"Ten points for Gryffindor," Ginny said sarcastically.

"Merlin's beard! Congratulations!" He walked to her and he hugged her. Ginny tried to be cold to him, but she missed her brother so much, and she found herself hugging him back with tears in her eyes. After a minute they broke away and she wiped her tears from her face while Ron went to congratulate Harry. "Congratulations, Daddy," he winked at him.

"Thanks, Uncle," Harry said back.

"So, in what month are you?" Ron asked Ginny with curiosity.

"Fourth going to fifth in a week." Ginny said touching gently her belly.

"I can't believe it. My baby sister and my best friend are having a baby." he said fully excited with the prospect. "But I suppose it won't be too hard right? I think you are experienced enough. Speaking of which, where is Teddy anyway?" he asked hoping he would see him. That's why he brought him a box full of chocolate frogs.

"Burrow. Bill and Fleur are there and we thought he would have a good time playing with little Victoire." Ginny said.

"Well, alright. These are for him, by the way." he said pointing at the box on the table. "Chocolate frogs. You can give it to him when he comes back," he added a little disappointed.

"A full box, Ron? He won't have any teeth left by the time he has to go to Hogwarts." Ginny said.

"Did you forget how many you used to eat when you were four, Ginny? A full box of chocolate frogs was like breakfast for you." he teased her.

"Funny. Anyway I'll go make sure dinner is ready. You'll eat with us, right?" Ginny asked Ron.

"Yeah, sure." he answered and he saw that Ginny smiled at Harry before going to the kitchen.

"So about that mission..." Ron started but Harry interrupted him.

"Ron, do me a favor. Let us have dinner first. Let us tell you what happened to us over the last year and you tell us what happened to you. We have the time to talk about you-know-what. But look at Ginny. She missed you mate. I missed you. So, please do it for us. Let us have a nice dinner, talking, laughing, teasing and then I'll tell you and Ginny everything." Harry said almost pleading.

Ron knew that Harry was right. He missed them too. "Alright, mate," he said. "Work can wait."

Harry smiled and he started talking. "Cannon's lost again, right? I suppose one more year without a win."

Ron smiled back. "One of these days, mate. Sooner or later. They are gonna win. I can tell."

"You've been saying the same thing for the last 11 years, Ron, and they never win. You're like Trelawney when it comes to your predictions about the Cannons." Harry said teasing Ron.

"She wasn't that bad. She did mention a couple of hundred times that you were going to die and you did. She just failed to predict that your death wouldn't be permanent." Ron joked and Harry start laughing. He missed that. He missed having a good laugh with Ron, talking about Quidditch or playing Wizard's chess. He missed his best friend.

"Dinner's ready!" Ginny yelled from the kitchen.

"We're coming, Honey," Harry answered and he and Ron went to the dining room.

When he, Harry, and Ginny started eating, Ron noticed a photo of Hermione next to the fireplace. He haven't seen her face even in a photo for more than a year. It was too painful for him. That made him remember the reason for his visit and he started getting mad. But then he turned and saw the smiling faces of Harry and Ginny looking at him and that made him smile too. He was eating dinner with his best friend and his sister after so long. He couldn't let Hermione Granger ruin it for him. No, he was gonna enjoy it.

_I suppose that bitch can wait._.. he thought.

**I'm so happy for your reviews. I hope I did a good job with this chapter too and I hope to read more of your thought. So R&R.**


	3. It's been so long

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Trust me...**

Harry, Ginny and Ron were in the living room. They had a great time during dinner, but now they all knew it was time for Harry to start talking.

Harry looked at Ron and he said, "Well, I suppose I have to start from the beginning. About a month ago, I received a letter from Hermione. To be honest, Ron, for the last two years Hermione and I are sort of penpals. We send a letter to each other twice a month," he said, but Ron seemed indifferent to the information. "Well, in that letter she wrote me that she's getting married and she wanted to meet me to talk about it."

Ginny was shocked. She didn't even know that she had a relationship in the first place. She looked angrily at Harry and she asked him. "Getting married? Why didn't you ever tell me that she had a boyfriend in the first place? Why did you keep that a secret from me, Harry? I'm your wife. You should have told me."

"Baby, I didn't know either. We read those letters together and you know she never mentioned that she was seeing someone. Up until that letter I never hid anything from you. But I couldn't tell you about her wedding because I didn't understand what was happening. How could I tell you when I didn't know anything myself? I'm sorry, Ginny." Harry said and he held her hand trying to make her relax. When she calmed down, she gave him a nod and he continued his story. "I decided it was best for me to go to Boston to see her. I asked Ginny if I could go and visit Hermione, without telling her why, and she agreed. Right, baby?" he said looking at Ginny and she nodded.

_

* * *

Flashback_

_1 month ago_

It was almost 1 pm and Hermione was in her office. She couldn't concentrate on her job though. Her thoughts were in London. She had sent that letter to Harry one week ago telling him about her upcoming marriage, but Harry hadn't written back yet. _He must be avoiding me. I don't blame him. First I left, then I refused all his invitations to go home and see him and Ginny__,__ and now I'm getting married without telling him in the first place that I was seeing someone__. He is__ probably confused about me and Ron_, she thought.

Memories of her life before flooded her mind. _Ron… I wonder if Harry told him about me getting married. Probably. He must hate me now more than ever. I don't think he'll ever understand. Not after…_ she couldn't finish the sentence in her mind. The memory was too painful for her.

Right then someone knocked on the door saving her from a temporary depression. "Come in," she said.

The door opened and a short guy, with black hair and a lightning scar on his forehand stepped in. "Hello, I'm looking for Hermione Granger. I don't know if you know her. She has bushy hair and brown eyes, she reads for fun and she was my best friend for nine years. Do you know where I can find her?" said a familiar voice.

Hermione eyes widened. Standing in front of her was her best friend, Harry Potter. She quickly ran and threw herself at him hugging him very tight. "Harry! Oh my God! I can't believe you're here. It's been so long!" she shrieked.

"Really? I had no idea, Hermione." Harry said bittely. It was 2 years since he saw her for the last time.

"I missed you so much." she said with watery eyes, still holding him.

"I missed you two Hermione." he said not breaking the hug.

"Why didn't you write me back to tell me you were coming?" she asked him.

"I wanted to surprise you. You know like you did last week with that letter." he answered with a hint of sarcasm.

Hermione's smile faded. "Oh, that. Well, I suppose I owe you an explanation. But I thought I asked you if I could meet you in London. You didn't need to come here."

"I know, but I've never been to the US before. I wanted to see where you live." Harry said honestly. He always wanted to visit New York. _But Boston it's not so bad__,_ he thought.

"That was very sweet of you. How long are you going to stay here? Because it's almost lunch time and we could go together and talk." she said hoping he would say yes.

Harry nodded and he said. "Sure. Ginny knows I came to see you, but I didn't tell her why. So we have enough time to talk."

"Good. Well, let me get my purse." Hermione said with a smile on her face.

Hermione and Harry went to a nearby restaurant. After they ordered, Hermione looked at Harry and she started smiling again. She missed his face. His pale face with those weird glasses. "Harry, I told you to get eye-lances. Why are you still wearing these awful glasses?"

"I tried but Ginny said I look sexier with my glasses on." Harry said smirking.

She laughed, but Hermione knew that Harry was there for answers and not for chit-chat. After they finished their meal, she turned to him and she started talking.

"So, I suppose now it's the time for me to start explaining some things." she said nervously.

"Yeah, that would be good," Harry said preparing himself for what he was going to hear.

Hermione took a deep breath and she started talking. "Ok. His name is Joshua Norton. He's a Quidditch player."

Harry interrupted her quickly. "Wait a minute. You're not talking about Joshua Norton, the Fitchburg Finches keeper, are you?" he asked with a genuine surprise after he heard the name.

"Yes, Harry. That's who I'm talking about," she said feeling akward that her fiance was famous.

Harry was shocked. Not because of who that guy was but because once again Hermione choose one of Ron's heroes. For Ron, Norton is the best keeper in the world, but Harry was sure that Hermione didn't know that. "Wow, Parvati was right. You do have a thing for Quidditch players." he joked.

"I don't like Quidditch and I don't like Quidditch players either. It's just a coincidence." she said angrily with Harry's assumption.

"Ok, Hermione. I was joking. Just go on with your story." Harry said trying to defuse the tension.

"Remember a long time ago when you sent me that letter saying that Ron was injured in a mission? " Hermione said almost in a whisper. The memory was still painful.

Harry felt anger rising inside him. Of course, he remembered that day. Ron almost died and she didn't care at all. "I do actually. I remember your cold response. I remember being angry at you and I remember myself telling lies to everybody that I couldn't find you." He said with a voice full of hate.

Hermione couldn't help the tears rolling down her face. Now it wasn't just the memory that was painful, but seeing Harry looking at her like that was killing her. "You don't know how desperately I wanted to come, Harry, but Ron made it clear to me a long time ago that he didn't want to see me again. That's why I told you I was busy. The truth is that I would have given anything to be there holding his hand." she said with a trembling voice.

Harry felt really bad. He didn't know how to handle the situation. He didn't know with whom he should be angry. Neither Ron nor Hermione tod him why they broke up. "What happened between you and Ron, Hermione?" he asked hoping for an answer.

"This is not the time, Harry." She answered wiping her tears from her face.

Harry wanted to scream, but instead he kept his voice steady. "It's been two years, Hermione! When is the right time?"

Hermione realized at that point that it wasn't only her and Ron that broke up. Harry lost his best friends in one day and he didn't know why. "I'll tell you, but not today. I'm not ready yet." She said trying to calm him down.

That seemed to work because Harry looked more relaxed. "Fine. You were saying?" he said.

Hermione knew that Harry would be mad at what she was going to say. It was something she never told him. "Well, later that day I went to a muggle pub to get a drink. I couldn't stand the thought of Ron lying on a hospital bed injured, not knowing if he's alright and not being able to be there with him. I got really drunk and I couldn't even apparate to my flat. After I left that pub, I went outside and I start walking without paying attention to anything around me. A car hit me. I woke up the next day in a hospital. Thankfully, I didn't have any serious injuries; I just had some bruises and a dislocated left shoulder." she said.

"What? Why didn't you ever write about that in your letters? I could have come here." Harry yelled.

"I told you it wasn't anything serious. With a little magic, I was completely fine a few days later." Hermione said truthfully.

"Still, Hermione. I'm your best friend. I should know if something bad happens to you." Harry said with a hurt voice. First Ron is going on missions without telling him beforehand, and then Hermione hides things from him. He felt like Ron and Hermione are no longer his friends.

"I'm sorry. I would tell you but I thought that Ron was in worse shape than me and he needed you." She said trying to make him understand.

"Apparently, you don't know Ron." Harry muttered under his breath.

Hermione didn't hear him and she continued with her story. "Where was I? Oh yes. You see I stayed one day there, but I wasn't alone in my room. There was a handsome 25-year old man with a dislocated right shoulder in the next bed. A wizard. I knew it because I noticed his Quidditch jacket on a chair next to him. We started talking when the visiting hours were over and we were alone; he made me feel better. He told me he played keeper and he joked about playing together. He said I could hold his broomstick with my right hand and he would block any pair of balls towards me with his left. I know it's lame, but it made me laugh. And I hadn't laugh for a very long time, Harry. Before he left a couple of hours later, he asked me if we could go out, and I said yes." She said this while looking on the floor as if she was ashamed of that.

"You said yes? What the hell, Hermione? What was that speech you gave me about how you wanted to be with Ron, but you couldn't. One day you're crying over Ron and the next you go on dates with other men? A few lame jokes and that's it?" Harry was almost yelling. He couldn't believe how easy it was for Hermione to agree to go on a date with a guy she only met a few hours ago.

"I was alone, Harry. I was alone for 6 months in a different country, away from my family and friends. Everyday I went to work and then I came back and I had no one to talk to. Yours and my parent's letters were the only things keeping me sane. So yes, Harry. Maybe I'm a horrible person, but I needed human contact. I needed to have a conversation, about something not work-related. I just wanted a friend. I needed to have a friend." Hermione yelled back once again with tears on her eyes.

Harry had enough. He was very angry with her. "That's bullshit, Hermione. If you wanted a friend, then you should have come home. Yes, you and Ron broke up. What about me? What about Ginny? You left us too, Hermione. And you know what I think? You didn't want a friend. You wanted a boyfriend. You spent 2 years living in a house with just you and Ron and you missed the feeling. I think you're just too much of a coward to admit it."

Hermione looked at Harry and she felt his anger towards her. The worst part though was that he was right. She missed what she had with Ron. "Maybe you're right. To be completely honest, I think the only reason I agreed to see him again was that he was a keeper and he was funny and he reminds me of Ron a lot. I thought that he could fill the hole in my heart after…" Her voice started trembling and she stopped talking. After a couple of moments, she spoke again with a more steady voice. "Should I go on?"

"Go ahead." Harry said, fully aware of how emotional Hermione was at the moment.

"Joshua and I started spending some time together. At first, I told him that I only wanted his friendship and nothing more, and it was great. We went to see movies, visit museums, go on weekend trips. I started to live again, but Joshua wanted more. He asked me to be his girlfriend, but I couldn't. I was still in love with Ron. So I came to London to see him." she confessed.

"What? When was that?" Harry said with curiosity.

"About three months after my accident." Hermione answered.

Harry thought that the visit probably ended in another fight. "What happened? Did you have a fight again or something?" he asked her.

"No. We never talked. I went to our house first. I didn't know he moved out." she said with a soft voice. It was almost a slap in the face when she found out that he left their house- the house where they shared so many wonderful moments.

"He did. The next day after he got out from St Mungo's. He told me that he couldn't afford to live there anymore with only his wage. He lives in a small flat now." Harry said trying to explain the situation to Hermione.

"I know. I asked the new owners if they knew where he lived and they gave me his address. I went there, but he wasn't in. I decided to wait for him in a bench next to his building. I was waiting for him and two hours later he came. But he wasn't alone. He was with a very attractive woman and they were acting very…" Her hands were shaking, and she was trying really hard to hold her tears once again. "I left as fast as I could so he wouldn't see me. I cried for a week, and then I realized that he moved on with his life and I should do the same with mine." she added.

Harry was confused. Ron never had a girlfriend, and if he did, he would know. "Hermione, I think you misunderstood. Ron has not had a girlfriend since you left." he said trying to understand what she meant.

"That's not what I saw. " Hermione muttured and she thought that Ron probably never told Harry about his relationship. "Anyway, it doesn't matter now. As I was saying, I decided to move on and when Joshua asked me again to go on a real date with him, I accepted his offer. Now after a year, we're getting married," she said with a smile, showing Harry her engagement ring.

Harry looked at the ring, but he also looked at Hermione. She didn't seem happy with the whole situation. S_he __p__r__o__bably just feels awkward__,_ he thought. "I see. Well, Congratulations." He spoke with a forced smile.

Hermione smiled back and she asked him something she was afraid to hear the answer to. "Harry, did you tell Ron about me and my …wedding?"

Harry laughed with the irony. "Hermione, that would be a little difficult, since I haven't see him for almost as long as you." He said with a defeated voice.

Hermione froze. "What do you mean? Where is he? Is he gone? Is he alright? " she asked worried that something bad happened to him.

Harry saw the look on her face and he realized that no matter what she says, she still loves Ron. "Hermione, relax. He's fine. At least, I assume he is. Because truth be told, I don't know. Apparently cutting off from friends and family is something you two have in common." he said pointing out the irony of the situation.

"Ron married his job after your break-up. It wasn't that bad at first, he was just grumpy. But after that first mission that send him to hospital, he decided to change his whole life. He moved out, he stopped coming to the pub every Friday like we used to, he never comes to birthday or holiday celebration, and he never comes for Sunday dinner at the Burrow. He became a stranger. He took one mission after the other. He's one of the best aurors now, and got promoted to Captain actually. It seems that work is the only thing he cares about right now," he said with bitterness in his voice.

Hermione was almost shocked. She had no idea that Ron was so successful at his job or that he isolated himself from his family and friends. "Well, that's good for him. I mean about his job. I'm sorry about you; I'm sure you miss him a lot." she said with a soft voice, placing her hand on Harry's shoulder.

Harry snorted. "Well, you should know. Anyway, why did you ask me if I told him?" he asked.

"Because I don't want him to know." She said sternly looking at Harry.

Harry tried really hard not to laugh. "What? Do you honestly believe that you'll get married without Ron finding out?" he asked her.

"Yes, Harry. That's exactly what I'm saying. Please try to understand me. I want to get married in London with my family and friends. Well, those few people I still think of as friends. I don't want Ron to find out. It would be too painful for me and I think for him too." Hermione said trying to make Harry to understand her.

Harry was having doubts about Hermione's decision. She didn't sound so confident about her relationship with Joshua. "Hermione, I must ask and please don't be mad at me. Are you sure about this wedding? Are you sure you have moved on?"

Hermione smiled. "Don't worry, Harry. I'm not mad at you. As for your question, I must say yes, I believe so. Otherwise, why would I say yes to Josh's proposal?" she answered, but the truth was that she hadn't convinced herself yet.

"I don't know. But I'm sure you have your reasons. Listen, about Ron. I promise I won't tell him anything about your wedding. But, Hermione, come on. You are the famous Hermione Granger and you're getting married to the equally famous Joshua Norton. The whole wizarding world will know about your marriage. Do you really think that Ron won't find out?" he asked, pointing out to her that she can't escape from her and her fiance's celebrity status.

"I suppose not, but I don't want you to tell him anything, alright?" she said and Harry nodded. Suddenly a thought crossed her mind. If Harry hadn't seen Ron for so long, then he couldn't know for sure if Ron had a girlfriend or not. She had to ask him. She needed to know if Ron has someone in his life. "Harry, do you know if Ron has a girlfriend or something?"

"No, he doesn't have a girlfriend." Harry answered confidently.

"How can you be so sure? You said you haven't seen him for a very long time. Maybe he has one, but you don't know about her, right?" she asked him again nervously.

"I know it, because of Parvati. She works as a researcher in the Auror Department. She is Ginny's best friend now. That's how we actually know when Ron is on a mission or not. I asked her to keep an eye on him and she's telling us anything she can, and she never mentioned any girlfriend. Plus, Ron is always on a mission. He doesn't have time for a girlfriend." Harry said truthfully.

"Well, like I said, it doesn't matter." she said not showing any emotion. Inside, she felt better knowing that Ron was still available, even though she was not going to do anything about it, anyway.

After that they left the restaurant, they shared a long goodbye hug, and Harry went back to London.

_End Flashback_

* * *

Harry told Ron and Ginny what Hermione told him, hiding of course the parts about Ron. The last thing he wanted was to give Ron another excuse to hate Hermione.

But despite everything he revealed to Ron about Hermione, Harry was very surprised with the way Ron was handling the situation. Ron was acting very cool about it, like he was expecting it and the new information didn't make any difference. Harry was having a big problem trying to understand where the old Ron went. The old Ron would be already furious and on his way to the States to have a not so nice conversation with Hermione. But this Ron didn't do anything at all. He was just staring at Harry with a cold look like he didn't care anymore.

"So, what does all this have to do with the mission that my boss assigned to me? A mission that requires me personally, because I'm the only one you trust with it?" Ron asked.

"I'll tell you only if you promise me that you'll come tomorrow for dinner at the Burrow." Harry answered looking very serious.

"What…" Ron started to protest but Ginny interrupted him.

"Stop it, Ron! It's been so long since you had dinner with the whole family. And I know you, Ron. You miss that. I know how much you love your family. So, stop acting so detached and start acting like a Weasley. Because if you won't, I'll make sure you pay the concequences. You know very well what I can do to you with my wand. Understood?" she said leaving no room for argument.

Ron knew exactly what his little sister is capable of and he did miss seeing his family, so he had to agree. "Alright, I'll come. Now tell me about the mission."

"No, I'll tell you tomorrow after the dinner." Harry said as he stood up to give Ron a pat on his shoulder. "Have a nice night." He said and he walked out of the room with a grin on his face.

"Not playing fair, mate." Ron yelled at him.

"See you tomorrow, Ron. It was great to see you again." Ginny said and she kissed him on the cheek for goodnight.

Ron hugged her and then he apparated to his flat. After a quick shower he went to his bedroom. He reached down under his bed for a small dusty box. He opened it and he took out a picture. It was a muggle picture of Hermione. She was so beautiful that day and had a large smile on her face; it was Ron's favorite because he knew she was smiling at him in that photo. She taught him how to use a camera when they spent a month in the muggle world. She wanted to show him her world and Ron learned a lot. Not only how to use a camera, but he also learned about electricity, the purpose of traffic lights, muggle money and cellphones.

After allowing himself to drown in memories for about an hour, he put the picture back in the box and then put the box under the bed. He tried to sleep, since tomorrow was a big day for him. He didn't know what he was going to face. He had the same feeling that he got when he was getting ready for another mission. Only this time, he knew that no matter how much he prepared himself, he would never be ready for an angry Molly Weasley.

***I can't believe I have so many reviews. Thank you, thank you, thank, you. Please R&R.  
**


	4. Happy Belated Birthday

**AUTHOR'S NOTES: I'm sorry but some personal issues kept me busy, so I wasn't able to update sooner. I want to thank you all for your wonderful reviews.**

**A huge hug and special thanks to my incredible non-beta, beta, Kathy aka ObsessedRHShipper, for correcting my grammar and for helping me to make this fic better.**

**Disclaimer: As always, Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling…**

* * *

It was very early in the day and Ron was in his office. He mentally cursed himself for his laziness, when he saw the huge pile of unfinished reports on his desk. _That's a nice way to spend my Sunday morning… _he thought_. _That wasn't the only reason he was in his office though. He wanted something to keep his head busy, before he had to go to the Burrow.

After many hours, he finally finished his work and he was ready to go home. On his way out he walked by Chief's office and saw Nancy was working at her own desk, surrounded by tons of papers and files. He walked in quietly and sat on a free chair.

That startled Nancy. "My God, Ron! You scared me!"

"Well, that was my goal!" he joked. He gave her a smile and he said, "What are you doing here? Don't tell me Fletcher has you working on Sundays too?"

"No, I had some paperwork to finish. I just can't help myself. I want to do my job as perfectly as I can; you know me." she answered.

"No, actually, I don't know you and that's your fault." he teased her.

Nancy felt her cheeks going red. Ron once again was flirting with her. "What are _you_ doing here, Ron? And don't tell me paperwork, because I won't believe you." she said smiling.

"Believe it or not; it's the truth! I have another assignment, and I had a lot of unfinished reports from my last mission. I just wanted to get it done."

"Another one? So soon?" she asked him surprised.

Ron sighed. "What can I do? It's the nature of the job."

Nancy thought that this might be her chance to have a more serious conversation with Ronald Weasley. He was always flirting with her, but she didn't know anything about him. "Do you like being an auror?" she asked him.

Ron smiled. "Yeah, I do. It's a great job and I'm good at it or at least that's what I choose to believe, anyway."

"Ron, you are a Captain! Of course, you're good. Fletcher once said, that you are the most promising Auror and that one day you'll be the head of the Department." she said.

"I hope not! Last thing I want is to have more responsibilities," he answered truthfully. He had no intention to leave the field anytime soon.

"May I ask you something?" Ron said.

"Sure" she answered.

"Why does a girl with your brains work as a secretary?" he asked her curiously.

"I'm not that smart, Ron, and…" Nancy said smiling, but Ron interrupted her.

"You finished Hogwarts with 8 NEWT's. You could be whatever you wanted. Why did you choose this dead-end job?"

"How do you know about my grades?" she asked him with raised eyebrows.

"I'm an auror which means I have access to a lot of info, especially about people I'm interested in." he said, winking at her.

Nancy blushed. "You did research on me?"

"No, I didn't. Lewis told me. He said you two were friends and classmates and he knew your results." he said.

Nancy knew that her old friend David Lewis was on Ron's team and she knew that he and Ron are good pals now. "Do you two talk about me often?"

"Don't change the subject and answer my question." Ron said.

"Why did I settle for this job? Because it's not just a secretarial job, Ron, and it's definitely not a dead-end job. I work for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, which is the most respectable department of the Ministry. I'm learning so many things here and soon I'll be able to apply for the position of Chief's personal assistant." she said enthusiastically of the prospect.

Ron chuckled. "So that's you goal? To be Chief's right hand?" he asked with a mocking tone.

"Yes, for now. My ultimate goal is to be the Supervisor of the Department." she replied dreamily.

"Wow, that's ...boring." Ron said, unable now to hold his laughter.

"Stop laughing! It's a great job!" she said with an angry tone, trying to make him stop mocking her.

"If you say so," Ron said.

"Well you're an auror. You wouldn't understand, Ron" she said looking at him in the eyes. As she looked at him, she remembered something. "Oh my God, I forgot!" She opened the bottom drawer of her desk and pulled out her wrapped gift. "Here," she said awkwardly, blushing harder than ever.

"What's this?" Ron asked surprised.

"It's your birthday present. Open it." she said hoping that he'd like it.

"Birthday present?" he asked her. He was confused at first, but then he remembered that his birthday was 10 days ago. _Wow, I can't believe I forgot my own birthday. I wonder if my family remembered them. Probably not_… he thought.

"Yeah, you had it last week. You didn't celebrate then?" she asked him sadly.

He shook his head, while he unwrapped the gift. He frowned when he saw what it was. This was something Hermione used to give him. "A book? Why am I not surprised?" He teased her.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean? Just because I like books, doesn't mean I only give books as presents." she answered back, feeling slightly hurt by his comment.

"Hey, I 'm just kidding." he said giving her a wide smile. He looked at the book and he saw that it was a muggle book. "Fight Club, huh? That's an interesting title. You think I'm going to like it?"

She smiled back and said nervously, "I think you're going to love it. It's a muggle book, of course. I didn't want you to get lost among muggle terms, so I took the liberty of marking some things that you might not understand and I wrote you some notes to explain them."

Ron was stunned with her gesture. "That's very sweet. Thank you, Nancy". He considered weather he should ask her again for a date. He decided not to, because she would reject him once again. Plus he still wasn't sure if his interest in her was genuine or because she reminded him of Hermione. "Well, I think I'm gonna go now. It was very nice talking to you. See you around, ok?" he said with a small smile.

Nancy's face fell. "Yes, sure. Have a nice day." she said forcing a smile.

"Yeah, you too. And thanks again for your present." he said and he walked off.

Nancy saw him leaving and then she sighed. She really thought that he was gonna asked her out. He was flirting with her all the time today. _Or did he? He stopped when I gave him the book. I'm so stupid! What girl gives a book as a present to the guy she likes? No wonder he doesn't want to go out with me after that. He must think I'm the most boring person alive. Why did I get him a book? Why?_ She thought, feeling angry with herself. After an hour, she decided to let it go for now and she got back to work.

Ron apparated outside the Burrow. He could hear loud voices from inside and for a moment he hesitated. _God, I forgot how many Weasleys would be there today… _He found the necessary courage and he walked to the door. Then he stopped. _Do I just open it or should I knock?_ For a moment he wondered how he ended up like this - afraid to open the door of his home. Before he had the chance to decide the door opened and George appeared with little Victoire on his shoulders.

George was surprised to see Ron. Ginny told him he would come, but he was sure that Ron would find another lame excuse to miss Sunday's family dinner. "Well, well, well! What do we have here? Looks like ickle Ronniekins has come back from the dead."

Ron wasn't looking at George. He kept his eyes on little Victoire. She was already 4 years old and a lot taller than the last time he saw her. "Uncle Ron!" she sqeeled as she opened her arms to let Ron take her from George.

"Hey, princess. I missed you so much! God, you are so big now!" he said, hugging her tightly and kissing her on the cheek. "Did you miss me?" he asked her.

She nodded smiling. "Come with me and Uncle George. We are going to the shop!" she said enthusiastically.

"Maybe later. Now I need to say hello to everybody first, ok?" he answered nervously.

"Don't worry! Mum is not angry. She's actually very excited, after she found out that you would come today. Just come inside." George said patting him on the shoulder.

Ron took a deep breath and walked into the house. George and Victoire went to the fireplace and then flooed to the joke shop. His father spotted him after a while and he ran to greet him with a hug.

"Hello, dad." Ron said after they broke their hug.

"Hey, my boy." Arthur said smiling. But soon his smile started to fade as he watched his son carefully. Ron's eyes didn't hold the light they used to. He was unhappy and his father knew it. "What happened to you, son? You disappear and now you look so much different." his father said with a sigh.

"I wasn't gone that long, dad and Victoire recognized me immediately, so I guess I didn't change that much." Ron snapped back, annoyed with his father statement.

"No, you did." Arthur said, but his voice clearly stated that his change wasn't a good thing.

Before Ron said something back, Molly came in and threw herself into her son's arms. "Oh, my boy! I missed you so much. You look so thin. Don't you eat well? Come in the kitchen, so I can make you something to eat before dinner," she rambled.

"Mum, relax. I'll wait until dinner. I'm not thin; I am the same weight I was the last time you saw me." Ron said regreting the last part.

"If you say so" Molly said, hugging him one more time.

"Is Harry here?" Ron asked when breaking the hug.

"No, he's not. He and Ginny won't be late though." Arthur said.

"Arthur, can you leave us alone for a minute?" Molly said.

"Sure, Honey." Arthur said giving his wife a kiss on the cheek and walking off.

When he was out of sight, Molly started speaking. "Listen, Ron. I just want to say I'm sorry for what I said to you the last time we spoke. I can't even believe that I said those things. I hope you can forgive me and be my son again. Please Ron. I already lost a son. I don't want to lose another one." she said sobbing.

Flashback

_Ron sat alone __at the table looking at everybody laughing and dancing. It was a beautiful day. Harry and Ginny had bought their new house and they had a party to celebrate. He didn't feel like partying. All he wanted to do was leave, because he couldn't stand the looks he received from everyone. The only one who looked at him and smiled was little Teddy. That's why he spent most of his time telling the little boy about all the great games in the history of the Chudley Cannons; unfortunately, they were not too many to tell._

"_Ron, why__ are you sitting alone? Come dance with your friends." he heard a voice say. He turned around and saw it was his mother._

"_No, thanks mum. I don't feel like dancing. I'm very tired."_

Molly sighed. "_Ron, I'm going to say it once, so pay attention."_

"_Alright."_

"_Go and find Hermione and when you do, do anything to make her take you back. I don't care if you have to crawl on your knees and humiliate yourself, but find her and beg for her forgiveness."_

"_Forgiveness? What are you talking about?"_

"_Ron, I don't know why you two broke up, but it's not so difficult to figure out that it's your fault. I know you and I know that sometimes you do or say things so immature that I wanted to take you aside and knock some sense into you. I never had big expectations for you. Since you were a little boy, you always refused to take anything seriously. You never pushed yourself to be better. You're a child who refused to be a man. I hoped that Hermione would be more patient with you, but I guess you pushed her to her limit."_

"_Anything else?"_

"_Yes! My words maybe are harsh, Ron, but trust me when I say that they hurt me more than they hurt you. Start being a man! Hermione is a strong woman and she needs and deserves a strong man by her side. I hoped that you two moving in together or you becoming an auror meant that you had changed. I thought that you were on the right track and maybe one day you would be ready to have a family, but you never were mature enough to take the step. To be honest, I'm not surprised that Hermione dumped you."_

"_Are you finished?"_

"_One last thing. You're miserable and unhappy without her. Everybody can see that. Even today, with everyone trying to have fun, they can't because they see you sulking here alone and feeling bad for yourself. Stop spreading your misery. Hermione can make you happy again, and I hope you'll do something about that, before it's too late."_

_Ron watched h__is mother leave and he felt more alone than ever before. He knew about all those pity looks everybody gave him, but to hear his own mother telling him all these things was a new low. Of course, he didn't blame her. She had no idea why he and Hermione broke up, but assuming with certainty that it's his fault, brought back all the painful memories of that Horcrux. _

End flashback

Ron walked over to her and hugged her as tight as he could. She needed that and he knew it. "Mum, stop this. There is nothing to forgive. You are my mother and I love you." he said truthfully. "Besides, you helped me realize a lot of things. You were right. It was a year after our break up and I was still sulking over her. Your words made me want to change and that's exactly what I did. I became a man on my own. I put a little faith in myself and now I can look myself in the mirror and feel proud of my accomplishments."

"You should've always felt proud of yourself, Ron. I should have been on your side. I shouldn't…" she didn't finished because Ron interrupted her.

"Mum, stop! Whatever happened happened. Let it go."

"Ok, son." she said hugging him again. After she broke the hug, she said. "Let's go to the living room. There are so many people there and they'll be thrilled to see you again."

After three hour of many hugs, questions, laughs, handshakes, talks and a delicious dinner his mother made once again, Ron found himself in his old room. He smiled when he saw the Cannon's posters on the wall and his school broom right next to his bed. His mind went back to his school years and his adventures with Harry and Hermione. _Hermione. Hermione Norton. Hermione Weasley…_ he started thinking. _No, don't think about her right now. _He walked to his bed and he reached under it to find his old chess set. It was still there_. _His room was exactly like he left it 4 years ago.

"Are you up for a game?" he heard a male's voice say. He turned to see Harry standing at the door, smiling.

"Sure." he answered giving him back a smile. _This could be like old times…_

Thirty minutes later, Ron had already won two games. "Best three out of five?" Harry said.

"Why not? It's always a great feeling to beat the Boy-Who-Lived." Ron said sarcastically.

Another half hour passed and Ron was very close to winning another game. Harry saw Ron looking at the chess board again and he thought that now would be a good time to talk to him about Hermione. "June 1st."

"What's June 1st?" Ron asked back, clearly confused.

"Hermione's wedding day." Harry said looking down.

Ron froze. _Hermione's wedding day_. So much pain in one simple sentence. "That's in 3 months."

"A little less, but yeah." Harry said.

Ron looked at Harry and they both realized that the time had come. "Start talking."

"Before I explain everything to you, I need you to know that you can refuse to take the assignment.' Harry said truthfully.

"Well, Fletcher thinks differently." Ron said.

"He owes me. I asked you, because I wanted to see you again. I also thought that maybe if you spent time with Hermione, you could let her go and move on. Ten maybe we could all be friends again." Harry said hopeful that Ron would understand him.

Ron gave a little laugh. "So, that's what this is all about? You missed your best friends, Potter? Poor boy," he said angrily.

"Hey, I'm only trying to help." Harry said trying to defend himself.

"Oh, really? What if it was Ginny? What if you and Ginny broke up and then they told you that it's your job to help her get married to another man? How would you feel, Harry?" Ron asked him with his anger rising with every word.

"I don't know, Ron. Maybe I would be like you. But we're not talking about me right now. We are talking about you and Hermione. She needs Auror Weasley. Can you do it, yes or no?" he asked him.

Ron realized that he had lost his composure for the first time in a while. He took a few deep breaths to relax. "I'm a professional Harry. Of course, I'll do it. Besides, I know it's hard for you to believe it, but Hermione is dead to me." he said trying to convince Harry, as well as himself.

"Then I suppose I must start talking, right?" Harry asked him.

Ron nodded. "Bishop to F4" He said trying to play it cool with the whole situation.

Harry wasn't convinced by Ron's façade. Ron could fool everybody, but not him. "It's Joshua's ex. Apparently she didn't like the fact that he broke up with her. Hermione started receiving some threatening letters, but they didn't scare her. She faced worst things than an angry ex and Joshua promised her that he'd take care of the matter personally. But it seems he didn't do a good job, because a couple of weeks later Hermione found Crookshanks dead in her flat." Harry said.

Ron interrupted him.

"Crookshanks is dead?" Ron frowned. After he and Hermione moved in together, she brought her cat with her. He and Ron never got along though. Maybe it was because they were both ginger. Maybe it was because that hairy beast had the bad habit of sleeping on their bed at night. Or maybe it was because Hermione always treated Crookshanks with love and she never got angry with him, whatever he did. Ron hated that cat, but despite that, he was still like a member of his family.

"Yeah, someone had poisoned the poor thing. As you can imagine, she was devastated. She cried for more than a week over his loss." Harry said.

Ron almost laughed with the irony. _She didn't shed a single tear when we broke up but she cried for a week over a bloody cat!_ "I'm sure she did."

Harry noticed the sarcasm behind Ron's words, but he decided it was best to not interfere. "The point is that Hermione's flat is fully protected from any unwelcome visitors and possible dangers. You know how Hermione can be when it comes to safety measures. That was when she realized that she is in an actual danger"

"What do you know about this guy's ex?" Ron asked him.

"Sarah Thomas. He told me that her family is full of pureblood fanatics and is one of the oldest Wizard families in the States. They have many connections and they are so rich, so they could buy Gringotts and…"

Ron interrupted him. "Something more specific about her and not her family status?"

"Joshua told me that she used to be a nice girl. They broke up because her parents didn't want her to have any relationships with a half-blood, like him. He told us that they weren't together that long. Only a couple of months, but it seems to have meant a lot more for her than for him." Harry said.

"You told me yesterday that he and Hermione met more than a year ago and that they are a couple for a year. Why did his ex suddenly become jealous of Hermione? Why didn't she do something before?" Ron asked him.

"I don't know, mate. Maybe she snapped when she learned about their engagement. Who knows?" Harry answered.

"Why are you sure it's her?" Ron asked him.

"I'm not, but Joshua is. He told me that he recognized her handwriting in the letters that were sent to Hermione." he answered.

Ron felt annoyance building inside him. Harry was referring to this guy like he knew him for years. "When did you two meet?" he asked Harry.

"Two weeks ago. He sent me a letter to meet him in London. He didn't know any wizarding location so I met him in Trafalgar Square." Harry said.

"Wasn't Hermione with him?" Ron asked confused.

"Hermione doesn't know anything." Harry said nervously.

"What?" Ron asked completely lost.

"After the incident with Crookshanks, Joshua took his measures. He convinced Hermione to go stay in his house for a little while. The letters started coming at his house after that, so he was able to hide them from Hermione and he hired two guys to secretly guard her and make sure she's safe when she went to work." Harry said.

"Do you have any of those letters with you?" Ron asked.

"No I don't. I put everything in a file and I gave it to Fletcher. I have this though." Harry said as he pulled a paper of his back-pocket. "He said it was the most recent and I kept it to show it to you."

Ron took the parchment and he saw that it was a drawing of a grave with the name Hermione Granger on it; underneath said the picture was the word _Soon. _"I see."

"Knight to B4." Harry said. He saw the concerned look on Ron's face. He was scared for Hermione and Harry knew it. "There is something else. You know how many Death Eaters ran off to the States after the War. I'm pretty sure that a lot of them would want Hermione dead. Joshua told me that Sarah is not that skillful. He can't believe she's capable of any advanced magic. So, personally I believe that Sarah is co-operating with one or some of them, to kill Hermione. Judging from what Joshua told me about her family, I wouldn't be surprised if they all want her dead. They are supposed to be like an American version of the Malfoys." Harry said trying to explain the seriousness of the situation.

Ron gave him a nod to show him that he got his point. "I'll consider your theory, but right now I need the addresses of Hermione's flat and the house where she currently lives."

_Ok, here we go_… Harry thought. "It's not necessary. She's here in London. She's staying with her parents. That's why Joshua asked me to see him. He believes she'll be safer here with me and her friends. I told him that I'm not an auror anymore, so I won't be able to watch her, but I promised him the best auror will keep her safe until the wedding."

Ron looked at the chessboard. "Queen to B4, check." In the next move, he would take the game. "If she doesn't know anything about the danger she's in, then why did she come back?" he asked Harry.

"Joshua gave her an international portkey and convinced her that it would be best to spend the rest of the time with her parents until the wedding. He didn't want to make her worry and she didn't have any major case at work, so she accepted the offer." Harry answered, looking at the board, fully aware that once again he had lost to Ron.

"Yeah, she's good at accepting offers." he mumbled.

"What did you say?" Harry asked him, curiously.

Ron just shook his head. "Nothing, hmm… I need you to send an owl to this guy and ask him to come by my office on Wednesday at 7 p.m. With the time difference, it should be a convenient time for him." he said.

"Sure."

"And Harry…?"

"Yes?"

"After you'll send the owl, you have no more connection with the mission. We won't speak again on this matter. I know she's your friend and you're worried, but it's my job. I will do it my way and with my team. No one else. Understood?" Ron spoke with the most serious tone in his voice and looked at him straight in the eyes. Hermione's protection was now his job and he didn't want anyone to get in his way.

"You're the boss," Harry said when he realized that Ron wasn't kidding. He looked down at the chessboard. "I don't think there is a point to continuing the game. We both know that when I move my rook, my king will be exposed and you'll say _checkmate_ once again. So, I think it's best for me to go down and snog my pretty wife." He gave Ron a smile and he walked out of the room.

Ron stayed in his room for another half an hour, before he went down. When he came back downstairs, he found a surprise waiting for him at the kitchen. He was greeted with a big chocolate birthday cake and the sound of his entire family singing "Happy Birthday."

"Happy Belated Birthday! Come on, Ronniekins. Make a wish and blow out the candles, or else I'll let Victoire blow them out for you" George said tickling the little girl.

Ron smiled as he blew the candles. Everybody started hugging him and giving him their presents. Ron obviously didn't expect it, but he felt the happiest he had been in a very long time. He spent the next hour eating cake and opening the presents, forgetting everything about Hermione.

"You didn't think we forgot about your birthday, huh?" Ginny asked him.

"I did." he said truthfully.

"You did? We would never forget!" she said hugging tightly her brother. "What did you wish for? What does the 23-year old Ronald Weasley desire more than anything?" she asked with a grin.

Ron watched his sister, but he didn't answer. He spotted Teddy and he went to see him. "Hey, little Teddy. Did your mother give you the chocolate frogs I got you?" Ron asked him patting him on the head.

Teddy smiled and nodded. "Hello, Uncle Ron. Mum said chocolate can ruin my teeth, so she said she'll give me one every day after dinner." he said.

Ron smiled. He couldn't believe that Teddy was old enough now to speak with full sentences. "Well, your mother is right." he said still smiling. "Now go outside so you can see Uncle's George fireworks."

"Bye, Uncle Ron" Teddy said giving Ron a kiss on his cheek.

"See ya, Teddy."

"You awe vewy good with kidzz, Wonald" a sweet woman's voice said. Ron turned and he saw Fleur smiling at him, while next to her Bill held a sleeping Victoire in his arms.

"Well, they are not mine, so it's easy to be good." he whispered trying not to wake up the little girl.

"Come off it, little brother. You are going to be a great father one day. Afterall, you are a Weasley. It's your destiny to be a family man." Bill said.

"First, I need to find a girl crazy enough to want to have a family with me." Ron joked. On the inside, he knew that this topic of conversation was too painful for him.

"What about Hermione? She was crazy enough to move in with you, right? I know you guys are not together anymore, but it's never too late." Bill said winking, having no idea about Hermione's wedding.

"Well, considering that Hermione is getting married very soon, I think I'll need to find another alternative." Ron said as cool as he could sound.

"What?" Both Bill and Fleur shouted, clearly shocked, waking up Victoire. "Sorry, baby, go back to sleep" Bill said to his daughter rocking her to sleep. That seemed to work because she fell asleep again immediately.

"I think it's time for me to go. I have a long day at work tomorrow." Ron said looking at his watch.

"Ron, are you sure you're alright? Do you…" Bill tried to ask his brother, but he didn't know what to say.

Ron gave him a smile and a hug. "It was nice to see you again. All three of you" he said kissing sleeping Victoire in the forehead and Fleur on the cheek. "And thanks for the shoes. They are wicked," he said, referring to the present Bill and Fleur gave him. It was a pair of regular sports shoes, but the shoes had the ability of never getting wet or dirty and they could also change size and color.

Ron walked away. He collected all his presents and said goodnight to everybody and then he apparated back to his flat. After a quick shower, he lay down on his bed thinking. He was debating whether it was a good idea to take this case. He had told Harry that he was going to do it, but now he was having doubts. Hermione already broke his heart once. Was he really ready to face her again? Was he ready to really let her go?

* * *

I hope to read your thoughts in your wonderful reviews.

Next chapter up in about a week…


	5. Awkward meetings

**A/N: I promised a chapter before Christmas and here it is... Hope you'll like it. **

**Once again I must thank my wonderful beta Kathy.  
**

**Merry Christmas, Feliz navidad, vrolijk Kerstfeest, joyeux Noël, Καλά Χριστούγεννα, fröhliche Weihnachten, geseënde Kersfees, ميلاد مجيد, 圣诞快乐, buon Natale, felix dies Nativitatis, selamat Natal, feliz Natal, veselé Vánoce, Wesołych Świąt, god jul, hyvää joulua, glædelig jul, boldog karácsonyt, Mừng Chúa Giáng Sinh, Срећан Божић, С Рождеством Хрисовым, vesele vianoce, il-milied it-tajjeb, З Різдвом Христовим, seun-tan chu-ka-hae-yo, gleðileg jól, Nollaig shona, priecīgus Ziemassvētkus, un Crăciun fericit, heri la Krismasi, Nadolig llawen, חג מולד שמח**

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own HP...**

**

* * *

Three weeks ago**

"I don't understand why I can't stay here at your house until the wedding," Hermione asked Joshua.

"Honey, I'm doing this for you. I know how much you love your hometown. I think it will be best if you go to England so you can have enough time to say a proper goodbye to your old world. After all, after the wedding you're going to move to Boston permanently," Joshua said.

Hermione frowned a bit_. Permanently… It isn't supposed_ _to be like that_. She thought sadly.

"Think of it as a gift. You can spend three months with your parents and friends, without worrying full-time about work. Plus I know that there are a lot of preparations needed for a wedding, so if you really think about it, three months is a very short time," Joshua added, feeling unsure if he could convince her.

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Can you really stay away from me for three months?" she asked him getting very close to him.

Joshua wrapped his arm around her waist, leaned down and then kissed her very passionately on the lips. "Baby, I can't stay away from you for three hours, let alone three months. But you know that in a few weeks, I'm going on tour with the team and I won't be back until a couple of weeks before the wedding. I don't want you to be here alone. I want you to have fun and that's why you should go see your friends. Please, Hermione. Do it for me… " Joshua almost pleaded.

"For Merlin's shake, Joshua, you don't have to be so dramatic," she said feeling that there was something weird about his behavior. She looked at him and she saw how anxious he was for a positive answer. "Fine, I'll do it. Are you happy now?"

"Yes, I'm happy, because I know you'll be happy. You can't fool me, baby. I see how often you look at those pictures in your photo album. Not to mention that you couldn't stop smiling last week after you met your friend, Harry. You miss your old life. It's natural," he said hugging her, while Hermione rested her head on his chest.

"You're right. I miss them so much," she said with tears rolling down her cheeks.

"I love you," she heard him saying softly, while kissing her hair.

"I love you, too." Hermione said like a whisper as she hugged him more tightly.

**

* * *

Two weeks ago**

Hermione found herself walking in Diagon Alley. She had a huge smile on her face when she found that all her favorite places were still open, especially Flourish & Botts. She missed that place so much. But one shop was in her mind while walking down the road. Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. She stood outside the shop, debating whether she should go inside and see George. After considering the idea for a while, she decided not to, because she was supposed to meet Harry at the Three Broomsticks in a few minutes. She made a mental note to visit George's shop very soon.

Ten minutes later and she and Harry were siting in a table, drinking a butterbeer.

Hermione let out a sigh. "I missed this place."

"Tell me about it. Do you remember the last time we were here?"

Hermione forced a smile. Of course she remembered. It was almost 5 years ago on the last Hogsmeade visit before NEWTs exams. She and Ron had a date and she couldn't wait to go, because it had been two months since she last saw him. Ginny and Harry asked them to get a butterbeer first all together before they split up. They had a really great time, but Hermione didn't remember that day for that reason. She remembered the Hogsmeade visit, because later that day she and Ron said _I love you_ to each other for the first time.

"Yes, I remember, Harry." Hermione finally said softly.

Harry looked at her and he realized that it wasn't something pleasant for her, so he decided to change the subject. "So, tell me. What made Hermione Granger leave her office and in broad daylight too?" he teased her.

Hermione punched his arm. "Hey, I'm not that bad."

"Easy, Hermione, I was only joking," he said smiling.

Hermione smiled back. "Remember when you came to Boston and I told you that I'm getting married?" she asked nervously.

"How could I forget that?" Harry said not very enthusiastically.

"Well, I forgot to tell you that my wedding is in about three months. June 1st, actually," she said.

"So, you came all the way from Boston and asked me to meet you here to tell me that?" Harry asked raising an eyebrow.

"I asked to see you, because I've decided to stay here until the wedding. I took a leave of absence and here I am," she said sounding very excited.

"You're going to stay here? For three months? That's great Hermione" Harry said hugging her.

Hermione hugged him back. She really missed her old life. "I know! There are so many people I want to see now that I'm here. I want to visit Hogwarts and see Professor McGonagall, Hagrid and Madam Prince. I want to see Neville and Hannah, and Luna, and if she's not mad at me, I really want to see Ginny," she said afraid that Ginny would not want to see her.

Harry shook his head in frustration. "Hermione, how many times do I need to tell you? Ginny loves you and she'd be more than happy to see you again. Trust me. I live with the woman. I know when she's mad at someone and when she's not."

"I'll visit her soon then. I promise," she said.

Harry smiled. He knew how much Ginny missed Hermione and how happy she'd be when she saw her again.

Harry wondered what her fiancé thought about that. "Hermione is Joshua ok with this?" he asked her.

"What do you mean?" she asked back confused.

"I mean you are moving away from him and your job for three months. He's not mad, is he?" he asked her curiously.

Hermione gave a small laugh. "No, he's not mad at me. Actually it was his idea to spend the rest of my time until the wedding here. He has to go on tour with the Finches and he doesn't want me to be all alone. Especially not now that Crookshanks is dead," she said sadly.

Harry felt really bad for Hermione. He had no idea about Crookshanks and he knew how much Hermione loved that cat. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Hermione. I know how much you loved him. How did he die?" he asked her.

Hermione shrugged. "He was old Harry. I guess it was his time."

Harry felt that Hermione didn't want to talk about this, so he decided to drop the subject. "Ok, hmm… I need to go back to Hogwarts. I have a class in an hour. I'll tell Ginny that you want to see her and she'll send you an owl and let you know when she's free, alright?" he said and Hermione nodded.

Hermione watched Harry walk off and she sighed. She really wanted to see Ginny, but she was afraid that Ginny wouldn't be too happy to see her. She missed her best female friend. She was always the only person to whom she went when she needed to talk after bickering with Ron_._

_Ron. Where is he? Is he ok? Is he with another woman? No don't think about him. Not now…_ she thought. She took a deep breath and she apparated back to her parents' house.

**

* * *

Today **

In the morning, Ron woke up with a start. He couldn't sleep all night. All he could think about was that later that day he was going to meet Hermione's fiancé. He tried to convince himself that he was over her and he shouldn't be bothered with the whole situation. _It is just another case_.

Ron spent the day in his office waiting for Joshua to come. The appointment would be in the afternoon, but he found that he couldn't focus on anything else. He even refused Nancy's proposal to eat lunch together.

All he could manage to do was read the letters over and over again. He knew that Hermione was in actual danger and she needed him to do his job. He was trying to figure out how many aurors he would need. His squad has six members including himself, but Ron wasn't sure if that would be enough. This case was not a straightforward case of capture the bad guy. He needed to capture the bad guy and protect the girl.

Ron was also thinking about what Harry had told him. He knew that it was possible that a Death Eater was helping that woman. That would mean that he would probably have to divide his squad into three pairs: one to protect Hermione, one to watch Sarah Thomas and, if necessary, one to track down the Death Eater involved. Ron was having doubts if they could do it without extra help.

His train of thought was interrupted when he heard a knock on his door.

"Come in," he said.

A tall, well-built man with brown eyes and black hair stepped into his office. It didn't take long for Ron to realize that in front of him was Joshua Norton, Fitchburg Finches' keeper and apparently Hermione's future husband.

Joshua came inside and offered his hand to Ron who shook it. "Mr. Weasley, I'm Joshua Norton. I believe you asked to see me," he said nervously.

"Yes, I did, Mr. Norton. How are you?" Ron said motioning for him to sit.

Joshua relaxed a little. "I'm fine, but please call me Joshua. Mr. Norton is my father."

"I think I'll stick with Mr. Norton. It makes my job easier. Is that a problem for you?" Ron asked seriously.

"Of course not. Whatever works for you," Joshua answered feeling uncomfortable.

Ron noticed that and he decided to go easier on him. _It is just another case_ he thought. "Before we start, I want to say that I'm a big fan of yours." Ron said acting very cool in front of a man who he really hated at the moment.

Joshua smiled. "Thank you. I thought that the British hated American teams."

"Not all of us." Ron said.

"So, are you a Finches' fan?" Joshua asked him.

"No, I'm a huge supporter of the Chudley Cannons," Ron answered proudly.

"What a coincidence. My fiancée is a big fan of the Cannons and God knows how many times I tried to change her mind, but she always tells me to sod off," he joked.

Ron was a little confused. Hermione not only hated Quidditch, but she also always teased him about his passion for the Cannons. "That's good to know," he said forcing a smile. Then he spoke again "Mr. Norton you should know that I have already assigned two aurors to watch your fiancée, so you shouldn't be worried about her safety," he said feeling a knot on his stomach when he called Hermione _his fiancée_.

"That's great. Thank you very much," Joshua said looking relieved.

"But I need details. I read everything from the file you gave to Mr. Potter and he told me some of the things you talked about, but I want to hear your version." Ron said with a serious tone in his voice.

Joshua realized that the chitchat was over. "Alright, I'll tell you exactly what I told Harry when I saw him last week."

Flashback

_It was very early in the morning and Joshua found himself drinking coffee at Costa in Trafalgar Square with Hermione's best friend, Harry Potter. _

"_I'm sorry, but I've never been to the wizarding part of England. Hermione said you were raised as a muggle, so I thought it wouldn't be difficult for you to meet me here."_

"_That's fine. Besides it's been a long time since I visited muggle London and I kinda miss it."_

"_Y__ou're probably wondering why I asked you to meet me here, right?"_

"_No, I'm more curious as to __why you asked me not to tell Hermione"_

"_Hermione trusts you, Harry. I know that you're a hero and her best friend and that you care for her."_

"_Correct, so far."_

"_I'm going to trust you too. Hermione is in danger."_

"_What are you talking about?"_

"_Has Hermione ever mentioned anything about some threatening letters she received over the last two months?"_

"_Threatening letters? No. Never."_

"_I'm going to take it from the beginning then. Two months ago, I asked Hermione to marry me and she said yes. As you can imagine, I was the happiest man alive. I told all my friends, my teammates, and literally everyone I know. The point is that the news reached my ex's ears. Sarah's family owns the __Finches__; that's how I met her. After a couple of months we broke up, and then I met Hermione. Up until two months ago, I hadn't heard from Sarah since our break-up."_

"_What happened?"_

"_Two days after I got engaged to Hermione, she came to my house and pleaded with me to give us another chance. I refused, of course, and then she told me that Hermione and I are going to pay for my choice."_

"_Go on."_

"_I didn't pay much attention to that. Sarah is, or at least was, a very sweet person. I thought her threats were just made in the heat of the moment, but I was wrong. I started receiving letters from her begging me to take her back and drawings with her and me as a married couple."_

"_What's does this have to do with Hermione?"_

"_Hermione started to receive letters too, telling her that she must either leave me, or suffer the consequences. Of course, Hermione wasn't scared, because she's a very strong woman. She told me what was happening and I promised her that I would find a solution. I went to the Ministry in New York to ask for help. They told me they couldn't do anything, because I couldn't prove that the letters were from Sarah. So I did what I thought was best. I convinced Hermione to move in with me and I hired a team of aurors to watch her 24/7."_

"_Isn't that a little extreme for just a few letters?"_

"_I wasn't worried just about the letters. What scared me most was Crookshanks death."_

"_What do you mean? I talked to Hermione last week. She told me he died of old age."_

"_No, he was poisoned."_

"_What? How do you know that?"_

"_I received a letter that morning from Sarah that said she was sorry to hear about Hermione's cat and __she__ should have paid more attention to what she was feeding her cat. It also said that if I didn't want Hermione to suffer the same fate, I should leave her immediately__. I didn't know what it meant until I went to Hermione's flat a few minutes later and found her crying over Crookshanks lifeless body. I didn't say anything to Hermione. I thought it would be best for her to think that her cat died peacefully in his sleep."_

"_That Sarah sounds very dangerous."_

"_That's the thing. Sarah is not that gifted a witch. She once showed me her grades from school. She graduated with an A in potions and a P in Defense against the Dark Arts. She can't possibly have done all this without help. I'm sure someone is helping her. It must be someone very experienced, because Hermione's flat is inaccessible to anyone except her and me. You know how brilliant Hermione is and I'm sure she was using every possible __protective enchantment__ she knew to keep her flat a safe place."_

"_But it wasn't enough__."Harry whispered._

_Joshua heard him and he shook his head. __"I need to ask you to keep her safe. I'm leaving with my team today so I won't be able to be with her. The team of aurors I had hired to watch her informed me that they couldn't come to England for such a long period of time. I don't know anyone in this country except Hermione. I know that you are good with this sort of things, so I'm asking you to keep her safe, Harry."_

"_Listen, Joshua. I'm not an auror. I'm a professor at Hogwarts. There is nothing I wouldn't do to keep Hermione safe, but she needs proper security. You need to ask for help from the Department of Law Enforcement in the British Ministry. I can get you there right now if you want."_

"_I don't have time. My portkey is active for another half hour and I won't have time to explain everything to them. What am I supposed to do now? I can't leave her like this."_

"_Ok, listen. I promise that I'll have the best auror working on her case. Until then, I'll keep an eye on her. Hermione is my best friend and I won't let anything bad happen to her. Trust me."_

"_Thank you. Look, here is everything Sarah sent to Hermione and me, and this is my cellphone number. You can call me whenever you want and I'll be happy to answer any of your questions."Joshua said giving him a thick envelope and a piece of paper with his number on it._

_End Flashback  
_

"After that, I left. Harry called me two days ago to tell me that he found a great team to protect Hermione and that I needed to come here at this hour because you wanted to see me."

"He called you? I didn't know that you know how to use muggle technology," Ron said.

"Well, I'm always on the road, so I need something more than owls to keep in touch with Hermione. I need to hear her voice, telling me that she loves me. She was the one who taught me how to use a cellphone." Joshua said with a smile.

Ron felt like he was going to kill him on the spot. _I need to hear her voice, telling me that she loves me, _was echoing in his ears. _Sodding idiot, _he thought while he was trying to control his anger.

"I need your phone number and also your, Ms Granger's and Ms Thomas' addresses." Ron said giving him a piece of paper to write it down.

"Hermione moved in with me a couple of months ago and from what I know, there is an old woman that lives in her old flat now. Do you still want that address?"

"No, I don't think that's necessary." Ron said.

He gave Ron all the informations for which he had asked. "I need to ask you a favor." Joshua said nervously.

"A favor?" Ron asked confused.

"Yes. I don't want Hermione to know anything. I don't want her to feel scared. We are getting married and this is supposed to be the happiest time of our lives. I can't let a crazy ex ruin it for Hermione. Is it possible for her not to find out?" Joshua asked almost pleading.

Ron couldn't believe the audacity of this guy. Joshua really wanted to leave Hermione in the dark, like that was his decision to make. "No, I'm afraid I can't do that, Mr. Norton. It's her life in danger, not yours. She has a right to know and if you don't tell her, then I will. Now if that brings up a problem to your relationship, it's your problem, not mine," he said smirking.

"I know I should have told her, but you don't understand. I promised her that I would solve this problem, only I don't know how," Joshua said looking embarrassed with himself.

"Maybe you should be more careful when you make promises, Mr. Norton, especially when you are not sure if can keep them." Ron said almost angrily. He realized that once again he was ready to lose control, so he took a few deep breathes to calm himself.

Once he had calmed down he looked at Joshua and he noticed that he had tears in his eyes. For the first time, he saw how worried this guy was for Hermione's safety. _Maybe I shouldn't be so hard on him_, he thought. "Listen, Mr. Norton. I can promise you this. Ms Granger will be safe and I will solve this case. You have my word on that." Ron said sounded very confident.

"Thank you Mr. Weasley," Joshua whispered half-sobbing.

Ron didn't wait any longer. He wanted this guy out of his office and fast. "I think we are done here. From now on, let's meet every two weeks at the same hour, so I can inform you of our progress. Does that fit with your schedule?" Ron asked and Joshua nodded. "Ok, then. Have a nice day," he said giving Joshua a handshake, before Joshua left his office.

Ron let out a deep sigh and he saw that his hands were shaking. He may have appeared very confident and cool in front of Joshua, but, in reality, he had barely kept himself from attacking him. The idea that this guy could touch, kiss and more with Hermione was enough to make Ron lose control.

He walked to the wall and he gave a very strong punch that left a hole. He didn't mind the pain he felt after. Nothing could ever be more painful than talking with Hermione's fiancé. He was losing Hermione once and for all and he had to accept that.

He stormed out of his office and he went for a drink. He needed to get Hermione out of his mind for today. One drink became seven and once again he ended up with a strange woman by his side in bed.

* * *

Hermione was sitting nervously on the couch in the Potters' living room and Ginny was sitting next to her in an armchair. Ginny had invited her over and she was acting very friendly, but still Hermione felt like she was unwelcome.

In the two years of her absence, Ginny never sent her an owl. Hermione, on the other hand, was always asking about her in the letters she sent to Harry and she knew that he was reading her letters to Ginny. After a while, she just stopped wondering about her behavior. She assumed that as a Weasley, she took Ron's side and hated her. Harry tried to convince her countless times that Ginny's bitterness was becauseHermione had just left without talking to her first.

"So, how is work?" Ginny asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"It's going well. Not too many cases, but I won all of them," she said proudly.

Ginny had to smile. She always found it amusing to see Hermione's face when she was talking about work, studies, or books. "Of course, you did," she said. "And how about your cause?" she asked her.

"Not as good as I hoped, but I'm trying to stay optimistic," she answered smiling.

"I guess Americans don't care about poor elves, huh?" Ginny teased her.

"It's not that they don't care. I just thought it would be different from England. I thought that they would be more open-minded with my cause. Unfortunately for me, it's exactly like here. Everybody agrees with the general idea or they just pretend they care, but nobody wants to do something about it," she said bitterly.

"Don't let yourself get down. You are Hermione Granger. If anyone can pass S.P.E.W. as a law in the Wizarding world, it's you." Ginny said trying to cheer her up.

Hermione smiled again, as it began to feel like the old days. "How about you? How is the pregnancy going?" she asked her.

"Don't ask. I thought the first months were difficult with the morning sickness, but now it's even worse. I already look like a whale and I'm always hungry and tired," she said sighing. "The only good thing is that Harry is now my little servant. I can ask him whatever I want and he'll do it without complaining," Ginny added with a huge grin on her face.

"Poor Harry," Hermione joked.

"Poor Harry? Look at me, Hermione. He did this to me. If you should feel sorry for someone, feel sorry for me. I'm suffering all the consequences of his carnal desires," she yelled.

Hermione tried very hard not to laugh at her friend's outburst. She was sure she heard her muttering _horny bastard _under her breath, but she chose not to comment. The last thing she wanted right now was to have a conversation about Harry's sexual habits. "I'm just joking, Ginny. Come on, it can't be all bad. You have a life growing inside you. That's amazing."

Ginny gave a small laugh. "Well, come and say that to me when you get pregnant."

Hermione frowned a little. Memories flooded her mind. It was three years ago when she had experienced the symptoms of a possible pregnancy. It took ten muggle pregnancy tests and a visit to St. Mungos to convince herself that she wasn't pregnant. When she was sure she wasn't, she didn't know if she should feel relief or disappointment.

"Hermione?" she heard Ginny say, waving her hands in front of her face. "Where did you go?"

"I'm sorry I just got a little distracted. Where is Teddy?" she asked trying to hide her embarrassment.

"Shell Cottage. He likes to go there and play with Victoire," Ginny answered.

Hermione sighed. "I missed both of them so much," she said truthfully.

"If you say so," Ginny said sarcastically.

The sarcasm didn't go unnoticed by Hermione, but she chose to change the subject. "Are you still working at the joke shop?"

"Yes, but I'm going to stop next month. I love to work in that place, but now with the pregnancy, Teddy, and Harry, it's too much. I feel so tired all the time." Ginny said and for the first time she noticed the ring on Hermione's left finger. "Beautiful ring, by the way," she said without emotion.

Hermione looked at her hand and she smiled awkwardly. "Thank you. It's my engagement ring. Joshua gave it to me when he proposed."

Ginny snorted. "Yeah, I figured that."

Hermione saw her old best friend did not seem at all happy with her getting married. She didn't expect her to jump up and down, but a few nice words about her upcoming marriage wouldn't hurt. "It was a beautiful proposal, you know," she said nervously.

"I don't know, but why don't you tell me?" Ginny said with a small smile.

Hermione knew that it wouldn't make any difference to Ginny how Joshua proposed to her, but Hermione wanted to tell her anyway. "It was three months ago. We went out for dinner to a very fancy restaurant. The food was amazing and then he asked me to dance. We started dancing and when the music stopped, he kneeled down, pulled this beautiful ring out of his pocket and asked me to be his wife. It was perfect," she said dreamily.

"It does sound perfect. I'm very happy for you," Ginnny said, but once again she failed to show any emotion in her voice.

Hermione found her tone hurtful. Why couldn't she be really happy for her instead of just pretending to be? "Do you hate me?" she asked Ginny with a soft voice, while some tears started to form in her eyes.

Ginny gave her a puzzled look. "No, why would I hate you?"

"Oh, come on, Ginny, don't play dumb. Do you hate me for leaving …Ron?" Hermione asked her almost whispering Ron's name.

"So, it's you that left him, huh?" Ginny said raising an eyebrow.

Hermione was surprised. She had always assumed that Ron told Ginny what happened and Ginny took his side. Now it looked as if Ginny had no idea what happened. "Ron never said anything about our break-up?"

"He never said anything to anyone. I tried so many times to talk to him, but he…" Ginny stopped talking and she just sighed.

"Harry said that he's been very distant with you," Hermione said.

Ginny laughed. "Distant? That's the understatement of the year," she said still laughing, but it was obvious that Ron's absence was very painful for her.

Hermione reached for her hand and she squeezed it. "I'm sorry. I'm sure you miss him," she said softly.

"Well, now that he's back, I won't have a problem missing him," Ginny said with a huge grin on her face.

Hermione's eyes widened. "He's back? What do you mean?" she asked almost shouting.

"He was on a mission, but now he's back in England. A few days ago we actually celebrated his birthday at the Burrow." Ginny said.

"His birthday? That was almost two weeks ago" Hermione said without thinking.

Ginny noticed her little slip. Obviously, Hermione was still thinking about Ron and that made Ginny feel better. "Well, we couldn't celebrate when he was on his mission. Anyway, he promised me that he'll visit me at least once a week."

"That's great." Hermione said forcing a smile. The conversation was getting very uncomfortable and all Hermione wanted to do now was to get away as far as possible. "I think it's time for me to go. It was nice to see you again," she said as she stood up to give Ginny a goodbye hug.

"Hermione, will you come over on Saturday to eat with us? It will be your chance to see Teddy," Ginny said smiling.

"Yes, that would be lovely." Hermione answered kissing her on the cheek. "See you on Saturday," she said hugging Ginny one more time before she apparated to her parent's house.

As much as she tried, Hermione couldn't sleep. She couldn't stop thinking about Ron_. Now it's impossible for him not to find out about my marriage. He'll hate me. I know that. He'll..._ she couldn't think anymore, because she started sobbing very hard into her pillow.

After an hour, she stopped crying, but then she looked at her ring. She couldn't help but remember that not too long ago another ring was on her finger.

_Flashback_

_2 years ago_

_Hermione __was hugging Ron with her head snuggled into his chest. Being with him like that was the best feeling in the world. Suddenly, she felt Ron breaking the hug. She looked at him and she saw that he was nervous about something. She smiled at him hoping to make him feel better. _

_She saw Ron smiling back at her. Then Ron spoke.__ "__Hermione, this might sound a little sudden, but I have really thought about this and I know I want to do it. I told you I love you, but I also want to tell you that I want to spend the rest of my life with you__."_

_Hermione couldn't help but blush, but she was also curious about what he meant by that. Before she had the chance to ask him, she saw Ron kneeling down. Hermione was quite sure she had stopped breathing_.

_Ron __pulled out a small box from his pocket. He opened it to reveal a beautiful diamond ring. __"Hermione__,__ will you marry me?"__ Ron asked her._

_Hermione couldn't help the tears of happiness that were rolling down her cheeks. "Yes!" she said through her sobs. "Yes, Ron, I'll marry you," she added pulling him up and kissing him softly on the lips. _

_Once their lips parted,__ Hermione looked into his beautiful blue eyes. They were full of love and it was all for her. He took the ring from the box and slipped it onto her finger. _

_Hermione looked at her hand and couldn't believe how perfect that ring looked on her finger. It was like she was meant to wear that ring for the rest of her life. She felt Ron's thumbs on her cheeks as he was wiping away her tears. "I love you," she heard him say._

"_I love you, too," she said and once again she rested her head on his chest. _

_End of flashback_

Hermione looked at her finger and she saw her engagement ring, but it didn't evoke any strong emotions. She started crying again, only this time she knew exactly why. She had a great boyfriend whom she loved and was going to marry, but the plain truth was that Joshua was not Ron.

She loved Ron more than anything. She would give up everything if it would mean that she could have him back, but she knew that Ron would never take her back.

She reached her wand out and she called "accio locket." A replica of the locket that Ron destroyed in the war appeared in her hand. She opened it to reveal a muggle picture of Ron. With tears still falling from her eyes, she touched the photo softly with her finger, and then she kissed it. "I love you, Ron," she whispered before she fell asleep holding the locket, tightly to her chest.


	6. Thinking of you

A little late, but...

**Ηappy new year, gelukkig nieuwjaar, ein gutes neues Jahr, feliz ano novo, Καλή χρονιά, feliz año nuevo, عام سعيد, З новым годам, честита нова година, sun lin fi lok, xin nian kuai le, sretna nova godina, šťastný nový rok, godt nytår, head uut aastat, onnellista uutta vuotta, bonne année, שנה טובה, nav varsh ki subhkamna, boldog új évet, farsælt komandi ár, selamat tahun baru, felice anno nuovo, hosa varshada shubhaashayagalu, zhana zhiliniz kutti bolsin, seh heh bok mani bat uh seyo, sala we ya nû pîroz be, felix sit annus novus, laimīgu Jauno gadu, laimingų Naujųjų Metų, e gudd neit Joër, Среќна Нова Година, godt nyttår, سال نو مبارک, szczęśliwego nowego roku, un an nou fericit, С Новым Годом, srećna nova godina, šťastný nový rok, srečno novo leto, gott nytt år, yeni yiliniz kutlu olsun, Щасливого Нового Року, Chúc Mừng Nǎm Mới, blwyddyn newydd dda, mwaka mzuri**

A/N: I want to thank my wonderful Kathy aka ObsessedRHShipper for her great beta work.

Disclaimer: Stop asking me! I DON'T OWN HP.

* * *

It was 1 pm and Ron was in his office, working on the last details of his plan for the mission before going to Boston to meet Sarah Thomas and get some answers. He had already sent Lewis there a few days ago and he confirmed that Sarah was still living at the address Joshua gave him; he had assigned the rest of his squad to watch Hermione and her parents 24/7.

His biggest problem though, was investigating whether a Death Eater was involved. Harry was right that many Death Eaters had run off to the States to avoid Azkaban.

On his previous missions, there always had been evidence of this trend. Even Robert Greene, the last Death Eater whom he captured, confessed in his trial that he was ready to move to Washington; unfortunately for him, he was captured before he had the chance to move.

However, he had difficulty keeping his mind on what he had to do. His mind was constantly on Hermione. He knew that one of these days he had to meet her in person to inform her about the mission. He didn't know if he could handle the situation properly. After just a short meeting with Joshua, he let his anger get the best of him. How could he ever be ready for Hermione?

He'd been so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't notice that he wasn't alone in his office anymore. "Ron?" he heard a woman's voice say.

Ron was startled. "Merlin's sake, Nancy, you scared me. Why didn't you knock first?"

"I knocked twice, but you didn't answer," she said. She looked at him and saw that he looked like he hadn't slept in days. "Are you alright? You seem a little tired," she asked him concerned.

Over the last week, Ron didn't sleep very well and he knew why. "I'm fine, thank you. I just have a lot of work to do, you know, with the new assignment and it is taking all of my energy."

Nancy gave him a nod, though she wasn't convinced. "Well, I think you are going to need some for now, because the boss wants to see you in an hour."

Ron sighed loudly. "Great! I guess no lunch for me then."

_Ok, this is your chance Nancy_, she thought. "You know, I have my break now and I was on my way to the cafeteria. If you want, you can join me," she said hopefully.

Before Ron could give her his positive answer, his stomach rumbled. They both laughed at this and Ron said, "I guess I just gave you my answer."

Half an hour later they were eating and laughing. It was a surprise for Ron, since it was the first time that Nancy seemed totally comfortable with him; he really liked seeing her this way. She even started telling him a story about how she and her friend tried to sneak into the Prefects' bathroom in her third year, but he and Hermione caught them just before they entered.

"I never thought you would be one of those girls who got detention for improper behavior," Ron said impressed.

"Yes, but thanks to you, we didn't got punished or reported. Hermione Granger wanted to give us a week's detention with Professor Flitwick and take 10 points from Ravenclaw, but you convinced her to let us go with a warning," she said with a huge grin on her face.

"Wow, all this time, I had no idea. I don't ever remember you from back then to be honest," he said truthfully.

"Well, I wasn't expecting you to remember me. I was just a third-year nerd and you were a sixth-year prefect, a keeper, Harry Potter's best friend and one of the best-looking guys in the whole school," she said feeling her cheeks getting hotter.

Ron had to smile at that. "Yeah, that's true. I was very cool back then," he joked. Then he looked at Nancy and noticed that she was blushing hard. "So, I guess you owe me," he teased her.

"I guess I do. So, how can I repay you?" she asked him with a mischievous smile and a wink.

"I'll think of something. Don't worry," Ron said. For the first time, he realized that Nancy was flirting back. Usually she stopped him, giving all kind of excuses just to get away from him.

"Speaking of Granger how is she? I haven't seen her since Hogwarts. Are you still best friends?" she asked him curiously.

Ron's smile faded. Of all the people that he would expect to ask him about Hermione, Nancy probably would be last on his list. "No, we are not. Actually, it's been a couple of years since I last saw her," he said with a cold voice.

Nancy eyes widened and she gave him a surprised look. Everybody knew about the Golden Trio, so hearing Ron say that they were not friends anymore was a shock.

"Oh, that's too bad. So you have no idea how she's been?" she asked him, trying to find out what happened between them.

Ron sighed. "Well, I heard that she's getting married soon."

"Really? Wow, you must be very happy, right?" Nancy said very enthusiastically.

Ron noticed that and he just shrugged. "Why? I'm not the one that's getting married."

Everytime Ron spoke about Hermione, he did it with a mix of anger, bitterness and indifference. Nancy realized that and she felt sorry for Ron.

"Can I ask you something personal, Ron? Why are you always sad?" she asked him, hoping he would open up to her.

"Sad? I'm not sad. What are you talking about?" Ron snapped defensively.

Nancy was determined to make him talk to her. "Ron, our eyes always show the truth and you have the most melancholy eyes I've ever seen. Something is causing you deep pain. Something is stopping you from being happy. What is it? Is it that you are not friends with Hermione Granger anymore?"

Ron stared at her and begun to feel a little angry. She didn't know about him and Hermione. Even if she knew, she had no right to ask this question. He looked at his watch and he saw that it was almost time for his meeting with Fletcher.

"I think it's time for me to go and see our lovely boss," he said getting up.

Nancy grabbed his arm. "Ron, I'm sorry. I don't know why I said that. I just…"

Ron saw that Nancy was on the verge of tears. She regretted saying those things and Ron knew it. "Hey, there is nothing to be sorry about, alright?" he said softly.

He made a move to leave, but something inside him made him pause. They had a great conversation at lunch and he started to feel like he really had a chance with her. He had a feeling that if he asked her on a date once again, Nancy would accept his proposal.

He turned to her, found his Gryffindor courage, and spoke. "Listen, Nancy, I need to go to Boston for a couple of days, and then I'm coming back on Saturday. I was wondering if you would like to go out with me then."

Nancy felt her heart beat very fast. "You want me to go on a date with you on Saturday?" she asked, looking at his eyes.

"Well, yeah. If you don't have other plans, of course," he said hopefully.

"No, I don't!" she said really fast and loud. "I mean, I'd like to go on a date with you," she said and she knew that her cheeks now were probably redder that his hair.

Ron's face lit up. "Ok, Hmm... I'll pick you up at your house at 7 p.m., okay?" he asked her and she nodded. "Alright, see you on Saturday," he added before he left to meet his boss.

"On Saturday," she whispered to herself. She went back to her lunch with a smile on her face.

Ron went to his office first to relax a little before his meeting with Flecher. He was trying to deal with Hermione's situation as best as he could and he really needed a distraction. He was really surprised to hear Nancy agree to go on a date with him, but he also couldn't get Nancy words out of his head.

_Am I__ really so unhappy that everybody can see it_? He tried to remember the last time he was truly happy.

Flashback

_Ron woke up after a great night. He had asked Hermione __to marry him and not only had she not laughed at him, but she had actually said yes. He looked at her small, thin, naked figure next to him in bed and saw that Hermione was awake, staring at her ring from every possible angle._

_Ron smiled and he let out a small chuckle.__ "Baby, you can stop checking your finger. The ring is still there. It's not going to go anywhere," he said moving his body closer to hers._

_Hermione turned and she kissed him softly on the lips. She hugged him very tightly and she snuggled her face __to his chest. "You wouldn't say that, if you were wearing one. Believe me, Ron, when I say that looking at it gives me the best feeling in the world. I could stare at it for days," she said with a dreamy voice._

"_So you like it?" he asked her nervously. He wasn't sure if she would like the ring. It wasn't as expensive as the one that Harry had given Ginny. _

_Hermione looked up at him and she smiled. "__I love it. It's the most beautiful ring I've ever seen in my life," she said truthfully, hugging him again. _

_They stayed like that for a while until Ron spoke. "__When do you think we should tell everybody?" he asked her._

_Hermione wanted to tell everybody right now. She wanted to go out to the street and yel__l at the top of her lungs that she was going to marry Ron, so that everyone could hear her, but that wouldn't work realistically. "I was thinking at Sunday dinner at the Burrow," she said. Suddenly she thought of Harry, jumping up she said, "Oh, wait. We should tell Harry first."_

_Ron grabbed her arm and he pulled her back on his bed. __"We can't. He told me yesterday that he and Ginny were going to visit Dudley today," Ron said wrapping his hands around her waist, spooning her._

_Hermione sighed. "But we must tell him first. I want him to be the first one to know," she said pleading._

_The Golden Trio had been best friends for so long, that they sometimes felt closer than family. __Harry told them about his engagement with Ginny before anyone else. Of course, Ron and Hermione wanted to share their news with Harry first as well._

"_Alright, we'll tell him first. When we get to the Burrow on Sunday, we're going to take him up to my room and we'll tell him. Then we can tell the rest of the family, okay?"_

_Hermione smiled and Ron melted. He __knew he couldn't live without her smile, "I love you, Ron" she said before she kissed him._

* * *

Hermione hardly slept at all last night. She just lay on her bed for hours trying to think of anything other than Ron, but it was impossible. Ginny's words were constantly on her mind. Ron was in London.

Just the thought that Ron was so close to her was enough to give her a restless night. She couldn't stop thinking about him_. Is he alright? Is he asleep right now? Is he alone in his bed or with some woman? Does he miss me at all? _

She knew where he lived, so all she had to do was to apparate outside his flat. She could do it right now. She could see him again. She could go there, knock on his door, and wait for him to open it.

Tears started rolling down her cheeks. Of course, she couldn't do it. She and Ron weren't a couple anymore. She didn't have the right to go to his flat without warning and see him. She was getting married to Joshua and Ron had been living his life without her for the last two years.

She opened her locket once again to see Ron's face. She would give anything to hear his voice again. She loved it when he used to whisper softly in her ears how much he loved her. She still remembered the last time they spoke and how everything ended between them.

Flashback

_Hermione was standing next to the fireplace. She had already sent __her luggage away and now she was ready to floo to the Ministry. From there, she was going to travel by an international portkey to Boston. _

_Ron was sitting on the couch, looking at the floor. It was too difficult for him to look at her in the eyes. He was angry and disappointed with her, but most of all he was heartbroken. _

"_I guess it's time for me to go now," Hermione said whispering. Ron didn't make a move. "Ron, did you hear me?" she asked him softly. It was clear by the sound of her voice that she was on the verge of tears._

"_Yeah, I heard you,"__ Ron said without taking his eyes off the floor. _

_Hermione walked to him and__ kneeled in front of him. She put her hand on his right cheek and she caressed it. "It doesn't have to end like this, Ron. I know it will be difficult, but we can make it work." She pulled out a paper from her pocket and she tried to give it to Ron. _

"_This will be my address in Boston and-" _

"_I don't want to know your address, Hermione," he said getting up from the couch and moving away from her touch._

"_Why can't you understand how important this is for me, Ron? I need to do this," she yelled at him._

_Ron turned to face her. "__I'm not stopping you, Hermione," he said coldly._

_Her__mione was crying now. "Ron, I love you. Please don't do this," she pleaded, looking at him straight in the eyes._

"_You're doing it, Hermione, not me," he said raising the tone of his voice._

"_No, you're doing it!" she snapped at him. "I'm right here, Ron, asking you to understand what I'm saying. I don't want to lose you. Please, Ron," she pleaded once again._

_Ron walked to her and he put his hands gently on her face. "__You don't want to lose me, Hermione? Then stay," he said softly before giving her a tender kiss on the lips. "Say that you will stay," he whispered into her ear one last time. _

_Hermione tried to get her composure back, but it was very difficult. She __could still feel Ron's lips on hers. He had asked her to stay, but she couldn't. "I can't stay Ron. You know that," she finally said._

_Ron removed his hands __from her and he took a few steps backwards. "Then leave, Hermione, but know this. As soon as you walk out that door, everything is over between us," he said decisively and he meant every word._

_Hermione felt a lump in her throat. "__No, Ron. You don't mean that. I love you and you love me. I know that. You're just angry right now and you don't know what you're saying about, right?" she said, but she wasn't sure if she was right. _

_Ron sat on the couch again__ and looked at the ceiling. "No, I'm not angry, Hermione. I'm …empty. I'm losing you," he said with a defeated voice._

_Hermione sat next to him and she took his hands into hers. "__You don't have to. I don't want to lose you either, Ron. I love you. I need you," she said softly._

"_Then don't leave. Stay with me, Hermione," Ron pleaded, __keep__ing__ his gaze fixed on a point somewhere__ on the ceiling__, __trying__ to stop the tears from falling._

_Hermione knew how difficult __it was for Ron to ask her twice to stay. _

"_I'll come back next week. I'm sorry, Ron, but I must hurry or else I'll lose my portkey. I'm not giving up on us. I'll make you see that we can do this," she said with confidence, trying to get up from the couch. _

_But she couldn't, because Ron grabbed her arm. "Wait. I want my ring back," he said looking at her with hatred eyes. _

_Hermione was __numb. The ring had only been on her finger for a few days, but it was already a part of her; she never wanted to take it off. Suddenly, she felt Ron's hand on hers, removing the ring from her finger with force. _

"_I don't want to see you again. Ever!" Ron said harshly and then he walked out the door._

_Hermione __was breathless. His words were like a stab to her heart. She collapsed on the floor and she started sobbing. Her whole world was crashing down around her. Was this really it? Was this the end of their relationship? _

End Flashback

Of course, it was. Hermione was stupid and she didn't want to believe it then. She honestly thought that Ron was going to calm down and then they would be back together.

Her dreams didn't last long though. When she came back to see him the next week, he wasn't there, though he had left her a letter on her nightstand.

Hermione reached for her robe and pulled out the letter. She carried it with her ever since. She didn't need to read it anymore, because after re-reading it so many times, she had memorized every single, painful word that Ron had written to her. But she found herself gazing at it, just to see his messy handwriting.

_Dear Hermione,_

_If you are reading this letter, then that means that you kept your word and you came to see me. As you have already figured out, I'm not there. Don't come to look for me at my office or at the Burrow. You won't find me there._

_I accept__ed a proposal to join the auror-A training academy. I'll be away from home for the next four months and then I'll be on my first field mission; Merlins knows when I'll come back. I know that we always talked about how after everything we went through I shouldn't take a field job. We both decided that I should be at headquarters behind a nice desk, doing research or desinging strategic plans and stay away from dangerous fights with Death Eaters._

_But now, I __realized that nothing can hurt me more than you already have, Hermione. So, I don't really care about any physical injuries that I could face._

_We__ could have started a life together, but you chose not to. I don't blame you, Hermione, honestly. I realize now that it's not your fault. You just never loved me as much as I hoped. I hope you'll find everything you ever dreamed of in Boston._

_I love you__ with all my heart, but I don't want to see you ever again._

_Ron_

Hermione folded the paper and put it back in her robe pocket. She wondered what she should do. After looking at Ron's picture one more time, she made up her mind. She was going to see Ronald Weasley, whether or not he wanted to see her.

She went to her closet to pick out something nice to wear. She chose a blue jeans and an orange top which was a present from him. She knew that he loved her in orange, especially seeing her with his Chudley Cannons shirt on.

After she took a quick shower, tried to tame her wild, bushy hair, and got dressed she was ready. She went downstairs, where her mother was waiting for her to eat breakfast, but Hermione didn't have time to waste. She was afraid that she might lose her nerve.

"Sorry, mum, I have to go," she said hastily to her mother giving her a quick peck on the cheek. She pulled out her wand and apparated outside Ron's door.

Her heart was beating so fast that she thought she might pass out before she got a chance to knock. Taking a deep breath she encouraged herself. _Come on, Hermione, you can do this. You can face anything that could be on the other side of this door. Just knock_.

And she did.


	7. Ron in Boston

**Aunthor's Note:** Yeah, I know it's been a while and it took me too long to update, but I had my finals and I didn't want any distractions. I hope you didn't forget my story and you'll keep reading it.

Once again, I want to thank **Kathy** for her super-valuable help.

JKR never told us the names of Hermione's parents, so I chose Nora for her mother and for later Gary for her father.

**Disclaimer**: Isn't it obvious that I don't own HP?

* * *

Flashback

_Ron__ walked into his boss's office with a smile printed on his face. Ron was a happy man and he wasn't hiding it._

"_Sir, you asked to see me?" Ron asked. _

"_Oh, yes, Weasley. Come in. How are you?" he asked him. _

_James Spencer was Ron's Captain. Ron liked him, because he was very friendly with the rookies like him and he always found time to give them advice or help them when they suffered personal issues. "I'm fine, sir. How are you?" he asked politely._

"_Old dogs like me are always fine. But now let's cut to the chase, shall we?" he asked and Ron nodded._

"_There is an opening spot in the auror-A Academy. Each captain-A, as I am, has the right to select an auror from their squad who will be accepted without completing the training. Are you following me?" he asked Ron._

"_I think…" Ron answered, but he had no idea where the conversation was heading._

"_I recommend__ed you, Weasley," he said simply._

_Ron eyes widened. He couldn't believe it. He had a chance to be a Captain! It was every auror's dreams and he could do it. "Me? I mean are you sure I'm the right candidate, sir?" he asked nervously. _

_Spencer gave a small laugh. "Of course, I'm sure. I have complete faith in your skills. I know that you are going to be a brilliant Captain one day," he answered confidently._

"_Thank you, sir," Ron said excited with the prospect._

"_Don't thank me yet. We are talking about the toughest academy there is. Only the elite make it through. Your physical, emotional, and mental strenght will be tested to their limits. But I believe in you, Weasley. I know you won't let me down," he said strongly, putting his hand out for Ron to shake. _

"_I'll do my best, sir," Ron said trying to show himself as more confident than he really was, but his hand was shaking like crazy during the handshake._

"_Now, listen. The academy this year will be held in Romania. The training starts next week and you're going to stay there for the next four months. If you make it through, which I'm sure you will, you'll then be going on your first mission. I suggest you start packing immediately," Spencer said sitting down on his chair._

_Ron froze. For the first time, he realized what this opportunity meant. He could have his dream job, but he would have to be away from Hermione for a very long time. _No, I can't leave her now. Not now. Not ever_, he thought. "I'm sorry sir, but I can't accept the offer," he said suddenly. _

_Spencer gave him a confused look. "I'm sorry I don't understand."_

_Ron let out a sigh. "One of my greatest dreams was to be an auror, sir. When I was accepted into the program I told myself that I would do my absolute best to make my family proud. I can't even tell you what it means to me that you picked me for the auror-A Academy, but I can't do it. I'm sorry if I'm letting you down, but I just can't." he said surely. _

"_Can I ask what the hell are you talking about?" Spencer asked with a not-so-friendly tone. Clearly, he didn't expect that reaction from Ron and he felt like Ron was acting ungratefully._

"_I got engaged last night, sir. I can't leave her now. I don't want to," Ron said truthfully._

"_You do realize that you probably won't have another chance to get accepted, right?" Spencer asked him._

_Ron wasn't stupid. He knew that this opportunity comes once in a lifetime for an auror. "I do, sir."_

"_And you're sure? We are talking about the elite, Weasley. Are you really ready to throw away a chance like that? Why don't you talk with your girl? Maybe she's okay with the prospect. Don't make a rush decision. This is your future we are talking about," Spencer said trying to make Ron reconsider._

"_The woman I love more than anything in this world agreed to marry me, sir. Starting a family together is all the future I want," Ron said with a smile, thinking suddenly about ginger babies dressed in Chudley Cannons' uniforms. _

"_Listen to me, Ronald. I'm not talking as your chief right now. I'm talking as a husband and a father," Spencer said with a soft voice._

"_Alright," Ron said, noticing how he called him by his first name. _

"_I got married when I was only 18 and believe it or not, I'm still in love with my wife. We went through a lot. When I first got accepted to the Academy, I panicked. I didn't know if I was ready or if I wanted to leave her behind. She was the one that convinced me to take the spot. She always had faith in me. She never stopped supporting and encouraging me. Not even when things were really bad. I had assignments that lasted more than a year. I missed my son's birth and mostly all of our anniversaries. I ended up in a hospital wing more times than I can remember or wished. Those are the bad moments in my life. I choose not to think about them," he said sighing._

_Ron gave his boss a sympathetic smile._

"_But for every day in the last 33 years that I was lucky enough to wake up next to this wonderful woman, I felt blessed. You have no idea how much she means to me. Sometimes I feel I don't deserve her and that I'm not a good husband. I think that if she was married to someone else, she would have a better life," he paused, looking at his wedding ring._

"_But everytime I go home, she waits for me with a smile and a kiss. She takes away all my troubles and pain, without her even realizing that she doing it. I would give my life for her, Ronald. I love her very much, and judging from the fact that she's still putting up with me after 33 years, I think she love me too," Spencer added. _

"_All I'm trying to say Ronald is this. Life is not easy. There will be bad and good moments. You're going to do things that you'll regret and things that you'll be proud of. At the end of the day, if what you and your girl have is the real thing, then she'll be there, waking up right next to you, and making you feel like the happiest person alive. If we could do it, why can't you?" Spencer asked Ron, trying to convince him to reconsider._

_Ron thought for a moment. Maybe Spencer was right. If Hermione really loved him then she would support his decision. She would wait for him. But was it really worth it to be away from her for so long? Could he live like Spencer? _

_He thought back to this morning when he woke up next to Hermione and he felt complete. He needed that for the rest of his life and he was determined to do whatever it takes never to let this get away. No job was more important than Hermione; nothing could ever come close._

"_We could, b__ut it's not enough. Not for me. I lost too much time already and I don't want to lose more. I know what I'm giving up, sir, but I know that I won't change my mind or regret it. She will always come first in my life," Ron said and he meant every word._

_Spencer studied Ron for a while. He was surprised at how a man at this young age, was so sure about what he wanted from life. But Ron was his best candidate to be a Captain. His strategic skills combined with his excellent training in defensive spells made him the best auror on his team. _

"_I can't say I'm not disappointed, Ronald. I'll give you a few days so you can discuss this with your girlfriend. I'll wait for your official answer Monday morning. Have a nice day," Spencer said shaking hands with Ron._

_Ron knew it was pointless to argue, so he decided to leave without objection._

End Flashback

* * *

Ron was woken up by a knock on his door. He was a little surprised because the truth was that nobody visited him there. _It's_ _probably_ _some_ _muggle_ _salesman_ he thought and he went back to sleep. But then he heard another knock. _Whoever it is I'm going to kill him_.

He got out of his bed, put on his trousers and a shirt, and went to open the door. Before exited his room, he turned to take his wand. _You never know_…

He stood behind the door. "Who is it?" he asked.

There was no answer. "I said who is it?"

Still there was no answer. He walked closely to the door and he looked through the peephole. He didn't see anyone. He held his wand tightly and opened the door. Nobody was in sight. He looked right and left in the hallway and saw nothing.

"_What was that?"_ he wondered. He turned to go back in, but something made him stop. A smell. He knew that smell. It was her smell.

"Great! First, I can't get her out of my head, and now I smell her perfume. What's next? Hearing her talking in my head?" he said to himself as he closed the door.

* * *

Nora Granger was coming out of the bathroom when she heard a loud crack coming from her daughter's bedroom. She knew by now that this noise was the sound of apparition.

"Hermione, is that you? Did you forget something?" There was no answer.

She walked to Hermione's bedroom and she knocked on the door. "Hermione?" she still got no answer, but she heard a loud sob.

She walked in and she saw Hermione sitting on the floor with her back to the wall. Her knees were at her chest and her head was burried in her knees. Her whole body was shaking and Mrs. Granger knew her daughter was crying really hard.

She walked over to her and hugged her. "Hermione, what's going on?" she asked, but all Hermione did was bury her face into her chest. She didn't protest; She understood that her daughter needed someone to cry to, so she kept hugging her and letting her shed all the tears she had.

"I'm a coward, mum. I couldn't do it. I tried to see him, but I'm not strong enough," Hermione suddenly said through sobs.

Mrs. Granger kept hugging her daughter. "I don't understand Hermione. Who is it that you can't see?" she asked softly.

Hermione broke the hug and she yelled. "RON! I went to his flat, I knocked on his door and when I heard his voice asking who it was, I got scared and left," she said putting her hands in front of her face to hide her embarrassment and pain.

Her mother was shocked. She had no idea that her daughter still had feelings for Ron. She knew that this was very serious and they needed to have a proper talk, but in Hermione's current state, there couldn't be any real conversation. "Hermione, listen to me. I want you to take a shower to relax and then we'll have a nice talk, alright?" she said and Hermione nodded.

"I'll wait for you downstairs. Come when you're ready, honey," she said kissing Hermione's forehead and leaving the room.

* * *

Ron found himself outside the Colonnade Hotel in Boston. Lewis was staying there after Ron sent him to gather information about Sarah Thomas. He took the key for his room from the reception desk, but before he went there, he decided to visit Lewis first. Their rooms were on different floors to avoid suspicion. He knocked on the door.

After a couple of minutes Lewis opened the door. "Captain, what are you doing here at this hour?" he asked Ron looking at his watch. It was only 5 am.

Ron walked in and he closed the door behind him. "Did you just call me Captain in public?" he asked him back angrily.

"Oh, shit! I'm sorry, boss," he said realizing his mistake. He looked at Ron and he saw that he still had an angry face. "Relax, Captain. Nobody is awake at this hour and there are no Death Eaters in this hotel. I can guarantee on that," he said trying to ease the tension.

Ron shook his head and he looked around in the room. He noticed that the bed wasn't empty. There was a woman sleeping in it.

"I can explain…," Lewis start to say, but Ron raised his hand in the air and signaled him to shut up.

"Come to my room in 10 minutes and bring the files with you," Ron said and he stormed out of the room.

* * *

The phone in the Grangers' house rang and Nora Granger answered.

"Hello," she said.

"Hermione?" a male voice said.

"No, I'm her mother. Who is it, please?" she asked.

"Nora, it's me, Joshua. I called Hermione on her cell-phone, but she wasn't answering it," he said.

"Hello, Joshua. Hermione is taking a bath right now. Is it something urgent? Do you want me to call her?" she asked him.

"No, it's alright. I just wanted to say that I'm coming tonight for a few hours and I wanted to see her. Can you tell her that?" he asked her.

"Of course, Joshua. See you later," she said.

"Ok, Nora. Bye," he said.

"Bye, Joshua," she said and hung up the phone.

Nora didn't know if Joshua coming was a good thing or not. Hermione was clearly not over Ron and now with her marrying Joshua, it was a messed-up situation. She only prayed that Hermione knew what she was doing.

* * *

Lewis was in Ron's room. He gave him the file with all the information he gathered about Sarah Thomas. Inside there were also photos of her and the people she met over the last week.

"As you can see, Captain, she has a very tight schedule. She eats breakfast at 8:30 am at Vale's café and then she goes to work at 9 am sharp. Four hours later, she has a lunch break, during which she meets a female friend of hers and they go to have lunch at Friedel's," Lewis said as he showed Ron a picture of the woman. She was a very beautiful brunette, about 30-years old; by the clothes she was wearing, she had to be very rich.

"They stay there for an hour and then she goes back to work. She leaves at 6 pm to go home. She lives alone, but some of her friends, like the woman you saw before, are visiting her. The rest of the night they'll either go out to dinner, go to a club or stay home," he said.

"Have you noticed anything weird since you've been here?" Ron asked him.

"The only weird thing is that there is nothing weird. There was no dark activity and all the people she met either were friends, family or business colleagues," Lewis said.

"Did you do what I asked of you?" Ron asked him.

"Yes, Captain. Today at 5 pm, you have an appointment with Sarah Thomas. I told her assistant that you are a lawyer and that you want to talk to her about a personal matter. Your name is David Cole," Lewis informed him.

"Good job, Lewis. Go to sleep now," Ron said seeing how tired Lewis looked.

"Thank you, Captain, and I wanted to say I'm sorry for the girl and for…," he stopped talking after Ron gave him a look that clearly said _end of discussion_. "Goodnight, Captain," he said and he left the room.

Ron spent the next couple of hours reading over and over Lewis notes and watching the photos. He tried to find something odd, or to see a familiar face in those photos, but he saw nothing. Sarah seemed like she lived a simple life that involved, working and hanging out with friends generally; she didn't seem like a lunatic.

Ron started to wonder what was missing. Something was definitely off with this story and he couldn't understand what. He only hoped he would get his answers during his meeting with her.

* * *

**I hope you liked it. I'll try to update soon. All I'm asking from you is to review and tell me what you think. That's all.**


	8. Love or Loved?

A/N: Here is my new chapter in less than 2 weeks. I think that's my personal record.

I want to give a huge hug and a thank you to my wonderful beta **ObsessedRHShipper**. I love you girl...

* * *

Flashback

_Hermione was__ in her office daydreaming about last night. She was going to marry Ron! She couldn't keep her eyes off her engagement ring. It was so beautiful and perfect and she knew it would be on her finger for the rest of her life. That thought alone was enough to create a permanent grin on her face. _

_Earlier this morning, she had called her mother and told her that she and dad had to come to Sunday dinner at the Burrow, because she and Ron had something important to announce. Of course, the sound of excitement in Hermione's voice was a giveaway and she knew that her mother must have realized what they wanted to tell everyone. _

_She started thinking about how they were going to announce their engagement. An image of her walking inside the Burrow, holding her hand up so everyone could see the ring was dismissed quickly. She looked at her watch and she realized it was time for the meeting with her boss._

_She walked __hurriedly to his office and knocked on the door._

"_Come in," she heard a voice say and she stepped into his office. She saw that he wasn't alone. Another man around his age was with him._

"_Hermione, we were expecting you," he said motioning for her to come in and sit. _

"_Let me introduce you. Mr. Clark Donovan, General Secretary of the American Ministry of Magic. Hermione Granger, Head researcher at the Being Division of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures." _

"_Nice to meet you, Ms. Granger," Donovan said__, giving Hermione a handshake._

"_Nice to meet you too, sir,"__ Hermione replied with a smile._

"_Hermione, I'm sure you are wondering why I called you," Mr. Terry, her boss, told her and she nodded._

"_Well, I believe Mr. Donovan can explain things better," he said and Donovan turned to her._

"_Ms. Granger__, I came here to Britain for you," he said and Hermione was confused._

"_For me? I don't understand," she said._

"_First, let me tell you that I'm aware of the little cause you used to run while you attended Hogwarts - The Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare. Am I correct?" he asked Hermione and she nodded. _

"_Our government is trying very hard to pass a series of laws that would improve the lives of house-elves greatly and that would ensure the equal rights of werewolves and centaurs and generally all the misfortunate creatures that suffered the injustice of our system. Not to mention, we would like to stop the __discrimination__ between purebloods and muggleborns," he said and Hermione beamed. _

_She was so happy that the American Ministry was so open-minded and promoted such radical changes. _

"_Even though a lot of great people are supporting us, it's still very difficult to convince all the people that these changes are necessary. This is why I'm here," he said._

"_I'm sorry, but I'm still confused. I must say that I find your effort praiseworthy and I hope you will succeed. Maybe then, something similar can happen in Europe, too. But what do you want from me?" she asked him._

"_The U.S. is not very different from Europe, Ms. Granger. There are important people there that are not willing to let things change. As we try to promote our proposed laws, we find people that are willing to support the idea, but are __suspicious__ of our campaign because of the many purebloods that holds key positions in our Ministry," he said._

"_Do they have a reason to be suspicious?" Hermione asked with raised eyebrows._

"_I'm not going to lie. Some of our politicians are well known for their perspectives about the superiority of purebloods, but I assure you that the majority of the people in our government have their minds and hearts in the right place," he said reassuringly._

_Hermione was disappointed that there were still pureblood fanatics out there. She wasn't naïve to believe that after the fall of Voldemort, the Malfo__ys of this world would become extinct. However, she hoped that people would protest against discrimination of any kind. She hoped that people would crave a better world._

"_We need __your support. If a war hero, or in your case a heroine, is with us then the people will see that our intentions are true. We want you to join our campaign and be one of our __representative__s. Your fame is well known in the States, Ms. Granger. Everybody knows how you and Mr. Potter defeated the Dark Lord," Donovan said._

"_And Ron. I mean Ronald Weasley. We were a team," Hermione said getting irritated that once again Ron was overlooked. She had read too many articles about how her intelligence saved Harry, but very few of them would mention Ron. They called them the Golden Trio, but more often than not, it was just the Saviour and the Heroine._

"_Yes, of course, Mr. Weasley. You all three are legends to the whole Wizarding world. Everybody respects you and most of all, owe you," Donovan said meaningfully._

_Hermione eased up a bit and decided to let this man talk. She tried to understand what he wanted from her. She knew he wanted to take her to __the U.S., but the thought was ridiculous. She could never leave London. She heard Donovan speak again._

"_People don't like the empty words and promises from politicians. They need inspiration. They need to hear people like you tell them that sometimes it is necessary to fight, so tha you can have a better future. Waiting for things to change with a flick of a wand is not the answer. You believe that, don't you, Ms. Granger?" he asked and Hermione nodded._

"_With all my heart. You have no idea how much I want to help you with your campaign, but I have a job here. I can't just come to the U.S.," she said._

"_This is where I step__ in, Hermione. Our Ministry and the American Ministry cooperate on all levels. We can relocate you temporarily to the American Ministry. There is an open spot for a Researche Director in their Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures," Terry told her and her face lit up._

"_I don't think I can do that, sir. I'm not experienced enough for that position__," she said, but deep down she knew she was more than ready for a better position._

"_Hermione, we both know that you practically run our department. Unfortunately, I can't promote you, because our Ministry regulations required three years of experience as a researcher, before you can apply for a promotion. The American Ministry doesn't have this kind of restriction. We are going to respect and support your decision, Hermione. Personally, I would prefer if you would accept Mr. Donovan's offer. You can learn a lot from this experience," Terry said and Hermione saw that he believed it. _

_Hermione knew he was right. She couldn't learn anything more in her current job and she had to wait another sixteen months, before she would get a promotion. _

"_Whatever it is, you will always be our Ministry employee. __The only problem is that if you choose to go to the American Ministry, you must start Monday morning," Terry told her._

"_So soon? Why?"__ she asked, clearly not expecting what she had just heard. _

"_Apparently their__ Researche Director had resigned two weeks ago and they need to fill the position immediately. They would have appointed someone else, but Mr. Donovan is keeping the spot open in the hopes of you accepting it," he said._

"_And if you come to the U.S. you will be able to help us, too," Donovan added._

"_What exactly do you want from me?" Hermione asked Donovan._

"_Mr. Terry already explained to you that whatever you choose, it's not going to affect your work and your career. I know it must be difficult for you to leave your life here and move to the U.S. for the next five years-," he said, but Hermione interrupted him._

"_Five years?" she __sputter__ed._

"_We are talking about changing the American Wizarding world once and for all, Ms. Granger. That takes time," he said and Hermione had to agree sadly._

"_Our political system is different than the British one. We elect our Minister with the muggle way of voting. I'm sure as a muggleborn you're familiar with the procedure. Every eight years, we have elections and the government must strictly follow the election campaign. Unfortunately, the war here affected our society too. There was a lot of fear and no time to have proper elections," Donovan said._

"_So, if I get it right, you want me to promote your campaign for the next five years until the next elections?" Hermione asked him._

"_Not all of the campaign, but just the laws we talked about earlier. In this way, we can affect the injustice of our system," Donovan said and Hermione thought for a moment that he deliberately used words such as 'injustice,' because he knew that they had an effect on her._

"_How can I hand__le two jobs? I'll collapse," Hermione cried._

"_I assure you__, Ms. Granger, that we won't abuse your kindness. You are going to conduct research as you normally would, but very often we will need you to represent us at Ministry's events such as speeches and balls or even give some interviews when it's necessary," Donovan said trying to explain what he wanted from her._

_Hermione had to admit that it__ didn't sound so bad. She was already experienced with giving speeches and interviews after the war, so that wouldn't be a problem. _

"_Listen, Ms. Granger, because my schedule is very tight as I'm sure is yours. You have two options: stay here and continue with your current position, or accept our proposal and come to Boston. You'll have a better job with a better wage in Boston. If you're worried about being away from your family, you must remember that you will be able to visit London once a week or they can visit you whenever they can. For some people, that's enough," Donovan said._

"_I must tell you that you can quit whatever you want. It's not a binding contract. You can come and, if at some point you feel that you don't want to continue, you'll be free to go," Donovan said and he knew that this would have to convince Hermione._

"_I'll be here until Sunday, so that gives you five days until you have to make your decision," he said and he rose from his seat to give her a handshake._

_In the few seconds that elapsed from the handshake until Donovan reached the door to exit, Hermione made her decision. __"There is no need, sir. I happily accept the offer," she said._

_Donovan came back to the office. __"Are you sure, Ms. Granger? Don't you want to think about it for a few days?" he asked her._

_Images of Dobby, Lupin, and Arthur Weasley flooded her mind. She had to do it. For Dobby, who saved her life as a free elf. For Remus Lupin, who taught her that being different is not the end of the world. For Arthur Weasley, who spent his life in the same dead-end job, because he refused to go against his beliefs. He saw scum like Lucius Malfoy enjoy everything that blood money could offer, while he chose the hard way of teaching his childrens the right values: family, friendship, loyalty, respect and love. _

_Then__, she thought about herself. She always fought to change the injustice of the wizarding world and now it was her chance. It was her dream and now it could come true. Surely, everyone would miss her, but would know this was something she couldn't pass up._

_Lastly she thought about Ron; her wonderful future husband. She wanted to have a family with him more than anything, but this was something bigger than her personal happiness. She knew that their relationship was strong enough to survive this temporary separation. It would be difficult, but they could make it._

"_I'm sure, sir," she said without hesitation._

"_That's great. Thank you, Ms. Granger," Donovan said giving her a very strong handshake and a huge smile._

"_I guess Mr. Terry can inform you, about the necessary paperwork that you must fill out, so you can relocate to the American Ministry. I suppose we'll see each other again very soon," he said and he left the office._

_Adam Terry walked towards her. __"I'm going to miss you, Hermione," he said, hugging her. _

"_Don't worry, sir. I__t's not permanent," she said hugging him back._

_T__en minutes later, Hermione was back in her office. She couldn't believe what had just happened. She was so excited with the prospect of going to Boston. She could do so much now and not just knitting hats for the house elves. She could so something a lot bigger than S.P.E.W._

_She thought about how Ron was always calling it spew, just to get her angry. She remembered how Ron later told her that __he only did it, because she looked very sexy when she was angry. She bit her lip at the memory. _

_H__er mind was once again occupated by Ron. She began thinking about what his reaction would be when she told him about her new job. Then she realized that she had just made a life-changing decision without discussing it first with him. She just agreed to move to another continent for five years. How could she tell him that? Especially now, that they were going to get married._

_She spent the next hour trying to find a solution, but nothing came to mind. She wasn't going to change her decision to go to Boston; she knew that. It would eat at her if she turned down this opportunity. At the same time, she tried to imagine Ron's reaction. She only hoped that eventually he would it see from her point of view. _

End flashback

* * *

After the shower, Hermione went downstairs and found her mother in the kitchen.

"I made you a hot chocolate. I know it's bad for your teeth, but it helps in times like these," her mother told her.

"Thanks, Mum," she answered drinking a small sip.

Hermione knew that her mother was staring at her, waiting for her to make a confession, but she didn't know what to tell her.

"So, is Ron's flat where you went after you had practically run out of the house earlier?" Nora asked her and she nodded.

"Why did you do that?"

Hermione shrugged. "I don't know. I just… I needed to see him. I needed to hear his voice. I needed to see if he was okay," she said with a shaky voice.

"What happened?"

"I stood outside his door I knocked twice and then I heard him," Hermione said.

"Did you two talk?"

"No! As soon as I heard his voice, I panicked and I did the first thing that came to mind. I ran. When I saw that nobody was around me, I apparated here. I'm surprised I didn't splinch myself considering my emotional state," she said; images of Ron's splinched arm when they were hunting the Horcruxes flooded her mind and she tried to block them out.

"Honey, I really want to help you, but you never told us what happened between the two of you. One day, everything was fine and the next you're calling us from Boston. Not to mention that every time I ask you about Ron, you hang up the phone," her mother said, trying to make Hermione open up to her.

"It's my fault that we broke up. My fault," she whispered.

"Hermione, don't start blaming yourself. Sometimes couples-"

"It's my fault!" Hermione cried, interrupting her.

"Did you cheat on him?"

"What? God, no! Who do you think I am?" Hermione snapped back angrily.

"I'm sorry, but you said it's your fault," her mother said, trying to defend herself.

"That doesn't mean I cheated on him. I would never do that. I love Ron," she said truthfully.

"Love or loved?" her mother asked her.

That was the easiest question she could answer. "Love," she said looking her mother in the eyes and her mother realized that she was telling the truth.

"What about Joshua? Do you love him?"

"Of course, I do. That's why I agreed to marry him," she said looking down trying to hide her embarrassment.

"So you love two men?"

"No," she said shaking her head.

"Hermione, you just said-"

"I know what I said. It doesn't matter if I'm still in love with Ron. He hates me. Joshua is a good man and he loves me and in a way I love him too," Hermione said and her mother looked at her with a shocked expression.

"Hermione, you can't be serious!"

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked her mother.

"You are using Joshua to have a happy ending in your life, while you are secretly in love with Ron? Like you said, Joshua is a good man and he deserves better than this. If you're not sure about your feelings, you shouldn't drag other people into it," Nora said to her daughter trying to get her to come to her senses.

"That's not true. I'm not using Joshua. I love him. Maybe not in the way I love Ron, but I do love him. He makes me laugh, I feel comfortable with him, and we can have a future. Ron doesn't want a future with me," she cried.

"That is what this is about? You're afraid that you'll end up alone, Hermione?"

Why shouldn't I be afraid of that? I'm a career-oriented bookworm, who works more than is necessary. I nag, I tend to correct other people's grammar, and I always make the worst decisions," she said choking down a knot in her throat.

"Why are you always saying, that Ron hates you? Did he say that to you?" her mother asked her and Hermione shook her head 'no.'

"Then, how are you so sure? He may still love you," Nora said.

"Why would he still love me, Mum? Would you love someone that chose a job over you?"

"The offer from Boston?" Nora asked, although she knew the answer. Hermione's nod was unnecessary, but it just confirmed her theory.

Even though she felt bad for Ron, Nora was a firmly believer in the equality of the two sexes. "So, you chose your career. A lot of women do that. That doesn't mean you didn't love him. Sometimes couples must face unexpected situations and they must stay united to make it through. When you two talked about what you should do, he should have been supportive and not have broken up with you. That's what I believe," she said.

"What if I told you that I accepted the offer without talking with him first? Would that change what you believe?" Hermione asked her mother who gave her a disappointed look.

"You didn't talk with him first? Why you did that?"

"I don't know! I was so excited with the prospect that I couldn't think of anything else. When I realized what I had done, I tried to rationalize my choice. I kept thinking that Ron loves me, so no matter how difficult this could be, we would survive,"

"Ron broke up with you, because you didn't talk to him first?"

"He didn't care about that. We had bigger issues to solve," Hermione said thinking about their engagement.

"I don't understand," her mother asked confused.

"Remember when I asked you and dad to come to the Burrow for the Weasley's Sunday dinner, and two days later I called you not to come?" Hermione asked her mother and she nodded.

"Well, we were planning to tell you all about our engagement that day," she said and her mother's eyes widened.

"You two were engaged?"

"The night before the offer from Boston, Ron proposed to me and I said yes. Technically, we were engaged for four days," Hermione said and let her tears roll down her cheeks. It was pointless to look brave in front of her mother anymore.

"When I came home that night, I knew it would be the most difficult day of my life and I wasn't proven wrong. We had this huge fight and-" Hermione stopped talking because her sobs were choking her and her whole body was shaking.

Her mother hugged her as tight as she could and Hermione buried her face into her shoulder.

"It's okay, honey. I understand," her mother whispered in her ear.

Hermione kept sobbing on her mother's shoulder for at least ten minutes and her mother just let her. When she broke their hug, she made a move to go upstairs when she heard her mother's voice.

"Joshua called," she informed her. "He said he would come here tonight, because he has something important to tell you," she added.

"Thanks, Mum," Hermione said and she turned to leave when once again she heard her mother's voice.

"Hermione, what are you going to do? " She asked her.

Hermione didn't answer or turn to see her. She just left the kitchen and she went to her room. She had some decisions to make and she wanted to be alone.

* * *

Ron was sitting in a chair outside Sarah's office. He needed some answers, but he knew that he wasn't going to get them, unless he tricked her. He had transfigured his appearance, so now he was a 40-year old lawyer with dark hair and brown eyes waiting for his meeting with Ms. Thomas.

"Mr. Cole, Ms. Thomas is ready to see you," he heard her secretary telling him and motioning towards him to go inside Sarah's office.

"Hello, Ms. Thomas. Nice to meet you," Ron said with a handshake.

"Hello, Mr. Cole. Have a seat," Sarah said politely.

"My assistant informed me that you are a lawyer and there is a personal matter you wanted to talk with me about; am I right?" she asked him and Ron nodded.

"Do you know a man named Joshua Norton?" He asked her, cutting to the chase immediately. He didn't have time to waste with meaningless questions.

"Yes, he's the keeper for the Fitchburg Finches, which our family owns."

"Ms. Thomas, we both know that you know Mr. Norton a lot better than that," Ron said giving her a meaningful look.

"Okay, we dated for a while a couple of years ago. So what?" she asked emotionlessly.

"He came to my office asking for my professional help. According to him, you are a threat to him and his fiancée," he said.

"I'm sorry. Is this a joke? Because I neither have the time to listen to nonsense nor the right mood to laugh at your ridiculous suggestion," she said with a serious tone.

"So, you are denying that you sent him threatening letters and that you poisoned his fiancée's pet?" he asked her.

"I'm sorry. Are you a lawyer or perharps an Auror, because I feel like I'm being interrogated right now."

"I'm just trying to find a solution, in order to avoid unnecessary litigation. If this conflict with my client goes to the Wizengamot, then your family name will be on the front page of every newspaper in the U.S.," Ron said and for the first time he saw Sarah avoiding his gaze.

"Of course, we both know that there is not sufficient evidence to prove that you did what my client is accusing you of. If this goes to court, you'll probably get a single investigation and without proof, the case will be closed," he added and that seemed to give Sarah her confidence back.

"But I'm here to remind you of something, Ms. Thomas. No matter how powerful your family is, you shouldn't forget who Mr. Norton's fiancée is and what she means to the wizarding world. If people ever find out that someone is threatening the great Hermione Granger, they will give the proper attention," Ron said trying to see her reaction to Hermione's name.

That seemed to work, because he saw that Sarah was breathing heavily and she had a furious look on her face.

"I'd like you to leave now, Mr. Cole. Like I said before, I don't have time for nonsense. I haven't been in contact with your client for over two years. I never sent him any letters and I definitely never poisoned any cat," she said and Ron had everything he needed.

"I would advise Mr. Norton to visit a Psyche Healer. Obviously, his mental ability has suffered severe damage from all those years of playing Quidditch," Sarah added.

Ron rose up from his seat. "It was nice to meet you, Ms. Thomas," he said stretching his hand for another handshake, only this time she didn't make a move.

"Unfortunately, I can't say the same about you too, Mr. Cole," she said coldly, pointing him to the door to exit.

It was ten minutes later when Ron entered his hotel room. "So, how did it go?" Lewis who was waiting for him to return, asked.

"She is the guilty party," Ron said with certainty.

"Are you sure?"

"She admitted that she never killed Ms. Granger's cat," Ron said and Lewis gave him a confused look.

"I don't understand."

"I never said anything about a cat," Ron said with a smirk.

"So, what do we do now?" Lewis asked him.

"Monday morning, 10 a.m,. in the Strategy Room. Inform the others to be there. We have a plan to devise," he said patting Lewis on the shoulders and giving his 'Captain Weasley' look.

* * *

**I want to thank all of you who review my story or put it in their fav. or alert. It means so much to me. Believe me...**

**Review and tell me what you think about this chapter. **

**Next chapter in 2-3 weeks. I'll try to update sooner, but I doubt, lol!**


	9. Empty without you

**IMPORTANT! For those of you that you can't edit your story, follow this. When the page with the error message appears, go to the address bar and change the word "property" with the word "content". That's what I did...**

**Author's Note: Like I promise here is the new chapter. I had to wait many days to post it, because of the problems with the site. Anyway, I hope you'll like it...**

**A huge thank you to my beta, ObsessedRHShipper.**

* * *

Hermione was in her room pacing nervously. It was dark outside, so she expected Joshua to come very soon. Ever since she came back to London, all her thoughts were about Ron. She had completely forgotten that there was a guy whom she's supposed to marry in a few months.

She knew that her mother was right. Joshua was a good man and she felt like a horrible person for dragging him into this situation, fully aware that there was no room in her heart for any other man than Ron. Joshua wasn't supposed to be a long-term relationship. Actually, he wasn't supposed to be a relationship at all. However when Ron had decided to move on with his life, she grabbed tightly onto the first person that showed her a little affection.

Sometimes she wondered why Joshua proposed to her. She was never very affectionate with him. It was quite obvious that she didn't have any strong feelings or passion for him, but still Joshua never seemed to be bothered by it. _Maybe it is because he really does loves me despite that_, she thought sadly.

Of course, most of the times she just wondered why she accepted his marriage proposal. To make a promise to someone you're not in love with and to spend the rest of your lives together is just wrong. The last thing she expected when leaving London was to find a new fiancé two years after Ron.

So, why had she accepted Joshua's proposal? Hermione knew the answer to that. It was because without Ron, she never felt like Hermione. Without Ron, she was just a half a person, not really caring what her life was going to be.

The knock on the door brought her back to reality.

"Come in," she said, and Joshua came inside. He walked quickly towards her and grabbed her to give her a long passionate kiss.

"I missed you so much, love," he said kissing her again more gently this time and hugging her tightly.

"I missed you too," she lied, hugging him back.

"How's the tour going," she asked.

"Let's leave that, Hermione," he said kissing her again and starting to trail his hands on her body. It was pretty obvious that he wanted more than kisses tonight, but Hermione wasn't in the mood.

"What did you want to talk to me about, Joshua?" She asked him through his kisses.

He stopped kissing her and he looked her in the eyes. He spent all day practicing how he was going to tell her, but now he was at a lost for words.

"I lied to you," he said, putting a hand through his hair and looking at the floor.

"You lied to me about what, Joshua?" She asked him confused.

Joshua looked into Hermione's eyes and he prayed that after his confession she wouldn't be too mad at him. "You are in danger. My ex, Sarah, wants to kill you," he said.

"I think we resolved this already," she sighed.

"We didn't. I lied to you. She kept sending you letters, but since you were living in my house, I got to them before you saw them. She was the one that killed Crookshanks," he said looking at the floor.

"K- Killed Crookshanks?" she stammered and her eyes widen.

Joshua didn't want to go into details, but it was necessary for her to know the whole truth.

"Yes. He didn't die of old age. Someone broke into your house and poisoned him. I have a letter from Sarah confirming that. That's why I pleaded with you to move in with me and that's why I asked you to come here until the wedding. I couldn't protect you when I'm so far away from home. I couldn't live with myself if anything bad happened to you, Hermione," he said and he moved closer so he could hug her, but Hermione slapped his hands away.

She was breathing heavily now, not from fear, but from anger. "Why didn't you tell me then?" She asked angrily.

"I didn't want you to worry about your life, because of me. I thought I could solve this, but unfortunately I couldn't," he said defeated.

"Then why are you telling me now?" she asked in the same angry tone.

"I can't protect you here with me being so far away," he said and Hermione snorted.

"I don't need you to protect me! I faced worst things since I was a little kid and there is no chance I will be scared off by an angry ex. But you have my word that if I ever meet Sarah, I'll make her pay for Crookshanks," she yelled.

"Please, Hermione. Try to understand. I love you and I want to keep you safe. I know that it was probably stupid to do it all behind your back, but I had to do something," Joshua said with a pleading voice, but Hermione didn't care.

"What did you do, Joshua?" She demanded to know.

"I saw your friend, Harry, and he promised me that he would have the best Auror protect you," he said and Hermione's anger multiplied.

She couldn't believe how her best friend could hide such a thing from her.

"The leader of the Aurors is on your case now, and he commanded me to tell you everything. He believes that since it is your life that is in danger, nobody has the right to make a decision behind your back," he said.

"Well, thank God that someone seems to have a working brain!" She screamed.

"Hermione, I'm going to leave or else I'll miss my portkey, but I need you to promise me that you'll go and see this Auror and that you'll let him do his job. Not for me. I know that you're very angry at me right now, but I need to know that you're safe. Please, promise me," he pleaded.

"Leave, Joshua. Now!" She yelled.

"Alright, I'll go. If you decide to go and see him, ask for Captain Ronald Weasley. He's in charge of your case. I'll come back in a week. I hope you'll be calmer by then," he said and he turned to leave. Before leaving the room he turned, and said "I love you."

Hermione didn't hear anything of course, because she was numb. She couldn't have heard correctly. There was no chance that Joshua just said Ronald Weasley. It was impossible. No, it couldn't be true.

Suddenly it hit her. It was true. No matter how hard she wanted not to believe it, she had heard correctly. She put her hand on her mouth, shocked with the revelation. Her body was shaking and she wasn't sure whether she was still breathing or not. Her eyes were wide open and no sound could escape her lips.

Ronald Weasley, the love of her life, the man whose heart she broke while breaking her own two years ago, the man who was haunting all her thoughts, the man who she was still in love with, was the one who was assigned to protect her from her fiancé's crazy ex-girlfriend.

The door of her room opened and her mother came in, but Hermione wasn't in a state to comprehend her surroundings.

"Hermione, are you okay, honey?" She asked. When she saw Hermione's face, she knew that something very serious was going on.

"Hermione, talk to me. What happened?" She asked trying to get Hermione to show signs of life. Unfortunately all Hermione did was wear a blank expression on her face and stand frozen to the spot.

She reached out a hand to shake her shoulder, but Hermione moved backwards not allowing her mum to touch her.

"Hermione, what happened? What did Joshua tell you?" She asked Hermione with a voice full of concern.

Hermione looked at her mother with such a look that made her mother scared for her daughter's mental state.

"He-he knows," Hermione whispered, but her mother didn't hear her.

"I'm sorry, honey, but I didn't catch that. What did you say?" She asked her.

"RON KNOWS!" She shouted so loudly that her mother was sure everybody in the neighborhood must have heard her.

Nora looked at her daughter collapsing on the floor blubbering and she rushed to her side to hug her. Thankfully, this time Hermione let Nora comfort her. She didn't have to be a genius to realize why Hermione was crying. Apparently, Ron had found out about her engagement with Joshua and their upcoming wedding.

She held her in her arms, trying to soothe her, by stroking her hair and rocking her back and forth like she had done when Hermione was a little kid. "It's okay, baby. Everything is going to be alright," she kept whispering in her ears, but all Hermione did was cry even harder.

Almost an hour later, Hermione had stopped crying, but she was still sniffling. Nora looked at her daughter's puffed eyes and noticed how tired she looked after all the tears she had shed.

"Hermione, please listen to me now. I don't know what happened, but you need to get some rest. I don't want you to argue with me. Please do it for me, Hermione," she pleaded with her daughter.

Even if she wanted to protest, Hermione had no energy for it. She climbed into her bed and tried to sleep, but she couldn't. Her mother noticed that and gave her a Valium; luckily, for both of them, it worked very fast.

When Hermione woke up, it was very late in the morning. She was emotionally exhausted from last night and she thanked her mother mentally for helping her.

She couldn't believe what had happened last night. Not only had Joshua come to inform her that she was in danger, that Crookshanks had been murdered, that her fiancé and her best friend knew about this and kept it a secret from her, but also that her safety was assigned to none other than Ron.

She didn't know what to think about that. Ron must have learned everything about her and Joshua. _How can I see him now? How can I look him in the eyes now after I promised him that I would always wait for him? What have I done? Oh God, what have I done? _She screamed in her head once again letting a flood of tears roll from her eyes.

She began to cry and she took the locket out once again and stared at Ron's picture. Then a realization hit her_. Ron took the case. He could have declined it, but he took it. He probably moved on and he doesn't care enough to be bothered that I'm getting married. He gave up on us_, she thought and the lump in her throat made it difficult for her to breathe.

Her heart was in such pain that it made her feel like she was going to die, exactly like the last time she saw him.

Nora Granger was worried that her daughter hadn't come down for breakfast yet. She checked up on her every few hours, but the pill she gave her must have had a very strong effect. She hadn't told her husband anything, because was waiting to talk to Hermione this morning.

She went to her bedroom, but before she entered, she heard sobs coming from Hermione's room. Her heart was aching for her daughter. She wanted to help, but she didn't know how. She walked into the room without knocking, and she saw Hermione curled up in a ball in her bed crying, holding something that looked like a medallion close to her chest.

She walked to the bed and Hermione noticed her presence for the first time. "Hermione, why don't you come down for breakfast? Some food would be good for you," she advised her daughter, but Hermione had no desire to eat.

"I'm not hungry, mum. Just leave me alone," she pleaded.

"I don't know what the problem is, but do you really think that the best way to deal with it, is to cry all day?" she asked Hermione and she sadly had to agree with her mother.

"I'll come downstairs in a while. Let me take a shower first," she told her mother.

Nora smiled and she gave her daughter a kiss on the forehead. "I'll be in the kitchen," she said, before leaving the room.

Hermione climbed into the bathtub and she let the hot water wash over her skin. She was sitting down hugging her knees with her arms and holding them close to her chest. She tried really hard not to cry again, but it was impossible.

She wasn't naïve enough to believe that Ron would change his mind eventually and come back to her, but there is a difference between assuming something and knowing it. Now she wasn't guessing what Ron's reaction to her relationship with Joshua might be. Now she knew. He just didn't care.

That fact hurt her more than anything else did. She didn't care that her life was in danger, or that Joshua and Harry had lied to her. All she cared about was that for the first time since she left for Boston, she realized the consequences of her actions.

She couldn't blame Ron for forgetting her and moving on. She left, he didn't. Nobody forced her to start a relationship with another man, or agree to marry him. She was the one who accepted a new ring after the one that Ron had given her. She was the one that never sent a letter.

Sure, Ron made it clear that he wanted nothing more from her, but why should that have stopped her? She only went to see him once after receiving that letter. Once in two years and she didn't even have the courage to confront him about the girl he was with.

She had promised him that she would fight for their relationship, but she broke her promise through her own actions and inactions. She never tried to change Ron's mind and show him that she was there waiting for him.

The knock on the door shook her out of her reverie. "Hermione, are you alright? You've been in there for almost an hour," she heard her mother's voice say.

She took a deep breath to calm herself before answering. She didn't want her mother to hear her crying again. "I'm almost done, mum," she shouted and reluctantly she climbed out of the bathtub to get ready for breakfast.

She looked at her face in the mirror. Her swollen eyes were a giveaway of her emotions and sadly for her, she wasn't aware of any spell that could be used to make her look more presentable. Even in that condition though, she decided to go down and see her mother, because she knew how worried her mother had been for her.

When she walked into the kitchen, her mother smiled at her and gave her a cup of coffee. "I think it got cold," her mother said, but Hermione heated the coffee with a wave of her wand. "Of course," her mother said smiling. Sometimes she forgot how easy and fast some things were for Hermione.

Hermione took a sip and then looking at her mother, she sat down to explain some things.

"Remember how there was a Ball in Hogwarts in my 4th year and I went with a famous player although I wanted to go with Ron?" She asked her mother and her mother nodded confused.

"I never told you, but later that night Ron and I had a fight that ended with me in tears," she said and Nora tried to understand what Hermione was trying to say. Before she had the chance to ask her, she heard Hermione speaking again.

"In my 6th year, I already knew that Ron was the person I was in love with and wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I know that most people have no idea what they want at sixteen, but I knew. I promised myself that I would show my feelings to Ron and I would accept his decision, even if that meant that he didn't feel the same way about me," she said.

"Hermione, why are you telling me this?" Nora asked.

"Mum, please let me finish," Hermione said and her mother gave her a nod to continue.

"There was a Christmas party and I invited him to go with me and he agreed. I'm sure you remembered how much I pleaded with you to send me the best dress you could find. I wanted to look beautiful for him," she said and she took another siip of her coffee.

"Unfortunately, we never went to that party together, because a few weeks before the party, Ron found himself a girlfriend. It broke my heart. I didn't even know that something like that could cause me so much pain. You know what I did the first time I saw him after I caught him kissing that girl?" Hermione asked and her mother looked at her curiously awaiting her answer.

"I sent a flock of canaries to attack him," she said and her mother tried to suppress a giggle. "Then I went to my bed, closed the curtains, cast a silencing spell so nobody could hear me, and cried for hours," she added and Nora's smile faded from her face.

"I can't even tell you how many nights I spent in my bed crying for hours. I can't tell you how much I cried the night I left for Boston or the night that I found out that he was in the hospital fighting to stay alive and I couldn't be there for him," she said and she wiped away a few tears that were forming in her eyes.

"The reason I'm telling you all this, is because Ron is the only one that makes me vulnerable. I don't regret the tears I have shed or I will shed for him, I don't regret that I allow only him to have the ability to make me happy or sad, and I don't regret the pain in my heart that I have right now, because he's worth it," Hermione said.

"I know that you and dad never saw me have an emotional outburst and I know that seeing me cry must have been a shock to you, but don't worry. I'm not going crazy. I'm just… unhappy," she said with a shaky voice and Nora felt hot tears rolling down her own cheeks as well.

"Oh, baby," she said hugging her. She was supposed to be strong in front of Hermione and be giving her courage, but she couldn't. How can a mother be a rock when she sees her child in such a state?

After a few minutes, they broke away and Hermione went to her room. Nora really wanted to have a talk to her about Joshua and about what she was planning to do with her wedding, but she chose to let Hermione deal with it in her own way. For now, her job was to be supportive of whatever Hermione chose.

It was almost 6.p.m. and Hermione was getting ready to go to the Potter house for dinner. She didn't have any desire to stay for dinner, but only wanted to demand some answers from Harry. Knowing that Ginny shouldn't get upset in her condition, she decided to keep herself calm during dinner.

Twenty minutes later, she was in the living room with Ginny, Harry, and little Teddy. It was the first time in a while that had seen Teddy and she found herself hugging and kissing him the entire time.

Soon though, Teddy left them to go and play with the muggle toys that Hermione bought him. She was extremely happy that he found them interesting.

The dinner went smoothly as Hermione kept it together because of Ginny and Teddy's presence. She was familiar anyway with pretending that everything was okay after one year with Joshua. When Ginny went to put Teddy to bed, Hermione found the chance to have the talk she wanted with Harry.

They were sitting in the living room drinking some wine. Harry started talking about how McGonagall was still asking him when Hermione was going to visit the school.

"I told her that you would come sooner or later. You can't stay away from Hogwarts library for too long," Harry tried to joke.

"How many times did I risk everything to save your arse, Harry?" she asked him suddenly and Harry smile faded and a look of confuse formed on his face.

"Countless times, I suppose," he said nervously and Hermione gave him a 'that's-right' look.

"Joshua came to see me last night," she said and Harry realized what the conversation was really about.

"Oh, yes. My fiancé came to me last night and just blurted out that he and my best friend, for whom I risked my life countless of times as you quoted, were hiding from me that my life was in grave danger. Tell me he was lying, Harry. Tell me that you of all people would never leave me in the dark about such a serious matter. Tell me," she said angrily, raising her voice carefully, so as not to be heard by Ginny and Teddy.

Harry couldn't look her in the eyes. It wasn't that he didn't want to tell her, but he had promised Ron to let him do his job, plus he thought that Hermione would know by now.

"Hermione, I'm sorry. I honestly thought that Joshua had told you everything by now. I thought that it should be him, since he's your future husband, but I swear to you that if I knew that it would take him that long I would have told you myself the moment I saw you," he said apologetically.

"Don't, Harry. Don't try to blame Joshua. Joshua has not been my best friend for the last twelve years. He's not the one with whom I've shared these adventures. He's not the one that I consider the brother I never had. He's not the one that I always thought would be there for me and be someone I always could count on," she said and Harry was red from embarrassment.

"How could you, Harry? How could you hide something like that?" She asked in a hurt voice.

"I'm sorry, Hermione," he whispered. "I know that maybe right now you don't believe it, but I swear that I would do anything for you. My family, you, and Ron are the most important people in my life and I would give my life for any one of you, if I had to," he said truthfully, but Hermione had stopped listening after the mention of Ron's name.

"Do you know how …Ron, ended up with my case?" She asked with a shaky voice.

"When Joshua met with me and told me everything, I knew that you were in danger and Ron is the best Auror. We haven't seen him for almost a year and I thought that it wouldn't hurt if he was the one to take your case. You would have the best protection possible and we would start seeing Ron again," he said truthfully. It was pointless to keep things from Hermione anymore. Lies only would bring about more lies.

"And he just took my case? He didn't protest or anything?" She asked trying desperately to find a hint that Ron cared that she was with another man.

No, he's a professional and he doesn't allow himself to show emotion on the job. At least that's what he keeps telling me. Actually he's one of the reasons I haven't told you anything about the danger you are facing. He made me promise that I wouldn't meddle with this mission and I should leave him to do his job and protect you," Harry said and Hermione wasn't sure what to make out of it.

"What about Joshua? Ron knows about him, right?" She asked and Harry nodded.

"They met a few days later and Joshua gave him all the evidence. I guess Ron must have questioned him about a lot of things. By now, Ron probably knows everything about you and Joshua," he said and Hermione felt empty.

Not only had Ron met Joshua, but he was cool with it. He was just doing his job, like she was just another case… like what they shared was nothing to him anymore. _Could that be true?_ She asked herself.

She needed to know. She needed to know if Ron really moved on and forgot all about her. She needed to know if he stopped being in love with her. She needed to know.

She rose from her seat and ran quickly upstairs to say goodnight to Ginny and then, she came back to the living room.

"I don't know when I'll forgive you, but I'll still see you next Saturday for dinner since I promised Ginny and Teddy," she said really fast and Harry didn't even have the time to say anything back. He was puzzled at what has gotten into her and where she was going in such a rush.

Hermione apparated outside Ron's flat and she knocked on the door. This time she wasn't going to run. This time she would confront him.

There was no answer. She knocked again, but still no answer came. She realized that he probably wasn't in, but she didn't care. She was going to wait for him outside his door for as long as it took him to come home.

Ron and Nancy were in a nice muggle restaurant eating, talking, and flirting. Ron was wearing a white shirt, black jeans, and a black leather jacket. He was now very comfortable with the muggle world and he loved muggle fashion. He preferred wearing muggle clothes to those formal dress robes that wizards normally wear on their dates.

Nancy was wearing a beautiful blue, knee-length, sleeveless, cocktail dress that made her look stunning. Ron always thought that Nancy was beautiful, but seeing her all dressed up and with make-up on, was a pleasant surprise.

"So, after my graduation, I considered being a healer, but when I found out that the junior assistant for the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement spot was open, I applied. After a short interview, I was offered the job and took it," she said and Ron kept staring at her beautiful red lips.

"How did you become an Auror?" She asked and Ron sighed.

"The Minister owed us all a favor, so I asked to be an Auror," he said simply.

"Oh, yes! You saved the wizarding world! I remember now," she teased.

"You used your brains. I used my connections. What's wrong with that?" He asked.

"I didn't say it's wrong. I just never understood why you wanted to go back and chase Death Eaters. I thought that you and Harry Potter would have seen enough killing during all those years and you would choose something more fun," she said.

"I wasn't supposed to be a field agent. It just happened," he said, avoiding saying the real reason.

"Just like that?" She asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Just like that," Ron said taking a sip of his red wine.

"May I ask you something?" Ron asked her and she nodded. "Why did you agree to go out with me now? I've been hitting on you for the last year, but you always rejected me without a second thought. Now I come back from a mission and it's like I'm seeing a different person," he said and she blushed.

"It's not that I didn't like you, Ron. It's actually because I did that I turned you down," she said and Ron gave her a confused look.

"You didn't go out with me, because you liked me? Care to explain that to me?" He asked her trying to understand what she was saying.

"You are a player, Ron. You flirt with every available girl you see, but I'm not that kind of a girl. I want romance. I want you to show me that you really like me and not treat me like I'm just one more in the pile," she said.

"I always treated you with respect, Nancy. I never tried to force you to go out with me. I really wanted to get to know you," he said, but Nancy shook her head.

"It's not that, Ron. You are good at flirting. I had to restrain myself a lot of times from slipping and agreeing to go out with you," she said and for a moment, Ron thought she was mental. None of what she was saying made sense.

"The problem is that you never did it with your heart. Your eyes were full of pain and I could see it. All you wanted was temporary pain relief. Am I wrong, Ron?" She asked him, looking him in the eyes.

Ron looked away. How could he tell her she was wrong when she was absolutely right? All those women were just a way to drown his pain. It was that or drinking.

"No, you're right. I'm not going to lie," he said, looking at her, with a defeated expression on his face.

Nancy hated herself at the moment for making Ron feel sad. That wasn't supposed to happen on their first date. It should be fun, but her big mouth was ruining it. "Change of topic. How's the new assignment going?" She asked and Ron had to bite his lips for not laughing at the irony.

"I don't want to talk about work," he said and Nancy felt awkward.

Ron saw some couples on the dance floor and he thought it would be a good way to break the tension. "Let's go dancing," he said, rising from his chair and giving his hand to Nancy.

"Oh no, Ron, I don't dance," she tried to protest and Ron smiled.

"Let me be the judge of that, alright," he said and Nancy reluctantly took his hand and nervously followed him onto the dance floor. Luckily for her, the songs were slow, so all she had to do was hug Ron and sway slowly with the rhythm.

"Loosen up a little. You're too tensed," he said giving her an encouraging smile. Truth was that Ron was more nervous than she was. He was hoping that Nancy could be the one that would make him forget about Hermione, but even now with her body glued to his, he felt nothing. This lack of feeling was the thing that he was most afraid of.

After a few dances, they went back to their table. Half an hour later they decided to call it a night. Ron walked her home since it wasn't too far, and they talked about the cars they saw on the streets.

Ron always wanted a car, but not an enchanted one and surprisingly Nancy was also very interested in fast cars and racing games. It was something that Ron didn't see coming and he liked it.

When they reached Nancy's door, Ron didn't know what to do.

"I had a really nice time, Ron," Nancy said blushing and looking at her shoes all of a sudden. Ron noticed that and he knew what it meant.

He moved closer to her and with his hand, he lifted her chin. They stared at each other for a few seconds. Then Ron's leaned in to give her a sweet kiss, to which kiss Nancy responded with great enthusiasm.

When they broke the kiss, Ron waited for her to decide how this night was going to end.

"Goodnight, Ron. See you on Monday," she said with a sweet smile, before walking inside her house.

Ron wasn't sure if he was glad or not with her decision. He wasn't sure if having sex with Nancy was the best idea right now, but he was never fond of rejection. Sighing, he walked away and then apparated outside his building.

He climbed up the stairs and when he reached his floor, he saw the last thing he expected. Hermione Granger was sitting outside his door with her legs on the floor and her back on the wall; she looked like she had been waiting for him for some time.

Hermione heard something and she turned her head. Her heart started beating like crazy. There he was. Ronald Weasley. He was looking more handsome than ever, dressed like he had been on a date. _He probably was_, she thought sadly.

She rose from the floor and they both stared at each other straight in the eyes. Nobody moved from his or her spot. Finally, Hermione decided to speak.

"Where the hell have you been?"

**

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Author's Note: Yeah, I know, we all hate cliffs! But at least now you know that the next chapter will be full of R/Hr. **

**Until then, I can't wait to read your thoughts about this chapter.**


	10. What are you doing here?

**A/N:** Long time no see, right?I know it took me very long to update but I have a good reason.

I had a serious car accident almost 3 months ago and I'm still recovering. I'm not going to go into details, but to give you an idea, I have so many screws and blades inside me now that my boyfriend calls me robocop. I hate him for that, but at least he says it in a cute way. It'll take me a lot of time, probably a year, full of physiotherapy and exercise, but I'm expected to recover 100%. That gives me the motivation I need.

Enough about my drama. I hope you'll like this chapter. It's a full R/Hr chapter. If you like it leave me a review :D

I want to thank all of you for your reviews and the messages while I wasn't updating and also my great beta ObsessedRHShipper for her help.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own HarryPotter. I wish I was JKR, but I'm not. Honestly.

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_"Where the hell have you been?"_

Ron stood there frozen for a few seconds at the sight of Hermione. She looked more beautiful than he remembered, but that thought got pushed quickly to the back of his mind. He then walked hurriedly to the door, pulled his keys out to open it and then forced Hermione to go inside by grabbing her by her arm.

Hermione couldn't breathe for a moment. Feeling Ron's touch, even like that, was something she wasn't prepared for. She realized that his touch had the same effect like it always had; it made her want to hug him tightly and never let him go.

Ron removed his hands as soon as the door behind him was closed. "What are you doing here, Hermione, and why the hell are you shouting? Did we have an appointment that I forgot?"

She just stood there, staring at him unable to move a muscle or produce any sound. Her breathing was very short and her heart was beating like crazy. Her eyes started to travel down his body. His physique hadn't changed very much. He was always well built due to the Auror training, but he probably had arms that are more muscular now.

Her eyes then went to his face. She stared at his long nose that she loved so much, his soft lips that she craved to kiss and his eyes. There was something wrong with his eyes. It was like a dark shadow was spreading into his kind blue eyes. He had the same look after Fred died.

"I asked you a question, Hermione," Ron said getting impatient.

Hermione didn't hear a thing and all she did was move like a sleepwalker towards Ron with her eyes glued to his. She stopped right in front of him and without thinking, she stood on tiptoes and leaned in to kiss him. She never made it, because Ron pushed her away.

"What in Merlin's name are you doing?" he asked her with a shocked face.

That brought her back to reality. "I'm so-sorry, Ron. I wasn't- I was…," she stammered not able to produce a full sentence, and took a few steps back. She now took a good look at what he was wearing.

"Were you on a date?" she asked him, not looking at him because she was afraid of his answer.

Ron snorted. "Hermione, are you going to tell me what you are doing here?"

"You didn't answer me. That means that you were. Of course, you were. Why else would you be out at this hour, dressed in those dashing muggle clothes. You were out on a date with your girlfriend and I waited here. I waited for hours for you to come back, to tell me that it's not over, to tell me that,-"

"Hermione, you're rambling," Ron said interrupting her.

"Oh, yes, right. I'm sorry," she apologized.

She tried to tell him why she was there, but every time she looked at him she lost her ability to speak. She didn't want to speak. She didn't want to talk about Joshua or his nutter ex-girlfriend. She didn't want to talk about her life being in danger or that he was supposed to protect her from harm.

All she wanted to do was to be with him. To touch him, feel him, hug him, and kiss him. Her mind wasn't thinking anything and every pore of her body craved to reunite with his. Her eyes were lost in his big blue eyes, feeling like they were the ocean and she was drowning without a lifejacket.

"You're staring at me," Ron pointed out, obviously irritated.

"Yes, I am," Hermione answered not taking her eyes off his.

"Why are you here, Hermione, and please try to give me a comprehensible answer this time," Ron said almost angrily, but Hermione didn't care. On the contrary, she loved when Ron was furious. In her opinion, it made him look so sexy.

"Can we sit and talk?" she pleaded with him.

"Be my guest," Ron said motioning for her to follow him into the living room.

Hermione looked at Ron's home and smiled. It was a small flat with a very narrow living room and clothes everywhere. Ron wasn't the tidiest person in the world, but it had led to some interesting moments. She loved it when she would order him to pick up his clothes from the floor and he would say something back and then they would fight; they both knew that it was only foreplay for the amazing sex afterwards.

She sat on the sofa and Ron sat in a chair. She was surprised when Ron rose from his spot and went to the kitchen to bring her a glass of water without asking. She was really thirsty after waiting for him for almost three hours, and Ron knew her too well to not recognize the symptoms.

"Thank you," she said drinking the full glass in one go.

Ron was trying really hard not to get carried away by his emotions. All he wanted to do right now was grab Hermione, snog her hard and then shag her brains out. He wanted to feel her gentle touch, to have her silky skin on his, to taste her soft lips and to make her his again. He wanted to do a lot of things to Hermione right now, but he knew he shouldn't. He needed to stay strong and calm. He wouldn't allow himself to show her that she was his weakness.

"You want some more?" he asked her when he saw her empty glass, but Hermione shook her head.

"How are you?" she asked him, giving him a nervous smile.

Ron was drumming his fingers impatiently on the arm of the chair. He had no desire for this kind of talk. All he wanted was for her to say what she came to tell him and leave him alone.

"I'm fine. Why are you here?" he asked her again and Hermione smiled like she hadn't heard his question.

"That's good. I see you've cut your hair. The style suits you," she said looking at his short hair. It was like the first time she saw him after he went for Auror training. He had told her that he read somewhere that muggle soldiers were cutting their hair as a part of their initiation. It wasn't that short, but it was short enough to not fall down on his face and hide his beautiful eyes she was so in love with.

"Well, your hair looks the same," Ron said, without showing if that was a good thing or bad. Truth was that for Ron it didn't matter. Hermione could shave her head for all he cared, and she would still be the most beautiful woman in the world to him.

"You know me. I have a love/hate relationship with this bush on my head. Do you think I should get it cut too?" she asked him, hoping to start some small talk, even if it was just about hair.

Ron looked at her hair and he was ready to say something, but he closed his mouth.

"Hermione, I'm going to ask you one last time. Why are you here?" he asked looking at her straight in the eye, showing her that his patience was at its limit.

"I know about your assignment. I spoke with… Harry," she said. She didn't want to mention Joshua's name in front of Ron.

"Harry? You didn't happen to talk with your future husband, Joshua Norton?" he asked her with a surprisingly calm voice.

"I- I talked with him too, yeah," she whispered, looking at her shoes trying to hide her embarrassment.

"Good. Now that you are aware of the danger you're facing, I can tell you that we have already put the maximum system of wards in your parents' house and their dental clinic and I have assigned a team to watch you 24/7," he said and Hermione was shocked.

"Why would you protect my parents? Are they in danger?" she asked worried, but Ron just shrugged.

"I highly doubt it. If someone wanted to hurt them, he would have done it by now, but I don't like to take any risks in my job. We have already put a tracing spell on their wedding rings, without them knowing anything and there is always an Auror keeping them safe. There is no reason to worry about your parents' safety. There are more chances of them dying from a muggle disease than a Death Eater," he said and Hermione seemed to relax a bit, but she still felt worried about her parents.

Ron kept looking anywhere but at her, and Hermione noticed that. She wasn't naïve to believe that Ron would be thrilled to see her.

"Do you believe that I'm in real danger?" she asked him with a shaky voice.

"Honestly? Protecting you is a waste of time," Ron said shrugging and Hermione was shocked.

_I'm a waste of time? Does he really hate me so much that he doesn't care if someone is trying to kill me? Don't I mean anything to him anymore? _She wondered_._

"You don't need us to protect you, Hermione. We both know that you are a very skillful witch and I don't think that there is someone out there who can beat you in a duel or be smart enough to trick you into a death trap," he added truthfully and Hermione felt better.

"Should I take that as a compliment, Ron?" she asked him hopefully.

"I'm just stating the truth, Hermione. There's no need to act like you don't know how powerful a witch you are," he said, sighing.

"Then why did you take the case… if you think it's a waste of time?" she asked, looking at him. She needed to know if there was still hope.

"It's my job. I don't have a say; I just follow orders," he said unemotionally.

"So, if you could choose, you wouldn't take the case?" she kept asking him, trying to make him give her an honest answer. She wanted to know why he accepted it or why he didn't care.

"There is a Death Eater after you, Hermione. We are talking about someone who is skillful enough to bypass all your security wards, and we know how difficult that is. He was able to go into your house and... kill Crookshanks as a warning message. That person needs to be locked up in Azkaban. My job is to catch him, as soon as I can, and then move to the next assignment."

"Yes, because I'm just another case, right?" she asked with a hurtful tone in her voice, looking at him in the eyes.

They were both staring at each other for a while. Ron didn't know what Hermione wanted from him. She left, she moved on and now she was getting married. Why couldn't she just leave him alone to do his job? _For your own sanity, don't think of her as Hermione, just remember she is only just another case_, he thought.

"Hermione, I gave your fiancé a deadline to tell you everything or else I was going to do it. I'm glad he finally did it. We have a meeting at Thursday in my office. You must come too," he said trying to remind her that he was a professional and his job is to protect her.

"What if there is no need?" she whispered, not taking her eyes off him.

"I don't understand," Ron said confused.

"I was thinking to… break up with him. Wouldn't that be enough to make his ex stop coming after me?" she said hopeful that this would make him see that she didn't really love Joshua.

Ron started laughing, surprising Hermione. "Of course, I forgot how easy it is for you to break off an engagement," he said with sarcasm, feeling sympathy all of a sudden for her poor fiancé.

Hermione felt a pang in her heart after what Ron had just said. "You took the ring off my finger, Ron, not me," she said, reliving her worst memory and trying to keep it together. If she was in her room alone, she would be crying like a baby now.

"Like there is a difference," he mumbled, loudly enough for Hermione to hear him.

"There is a huge difference! I begged you not to end things between us. I told you we could work things out!" she screamed, but Ron seemed unfazed.

"You told me a lot of things, Hermione, and you made me many promises that you didn't keep," he said getting up from his seat. He went to the kitchen and grabbed a beer from the refrigerator.

Hermione was staring at him. He looked so calm and cold. Nothing like the Ron she knew. She wondered if her decision to leave changed him into a different person and if there was still hope for the old Ron to come back.

She rose from her seat too and she started scanning the tiny living room. Her eyes fell on a picture above the fireplace with him and Harry dressed in their Auror uniforms at their graduation ceremony. He looked really good in this picture; it was the same day that he had asked her if she would live with him and she agreed without thinking twice.

She never had any doubts about her feelings. Many people spend their lives trying to find their other half, but she had already found hers when she was eleven. She felt blessed for that, so when Ron asked her to move in together with him, it was the easiest decision she ever had to make. It was one of the happiest days of her life.

She turned to look at him and she saw that he was staring at her back, but when their eyes met, he moved his gaze off her. She did the same. It was painful for her to be in the same room with him and not be with him at the same time.

"You have a really nice flat. Not as good as our old house, but it's very nice," she admitted. Ron didn't say anything back.

"I didn't know you had moved out," she said as if those words were causing her a great deal of pain.

"Yeah, I think it had to do with the fact that you never bothered to ask," he replied sarcastically, but Hermione chose to ignore that.

"I miss our house. I know you wanted a flat, but I convinced you that we could afford to rent a proper house. Truth is that I was saving money to buy it and live there when we were…" she stopped talking.

She felt her eyes getting watery. How different everything was now. Two years ago, everything was great in her life. She had Ron and a great job and she was saving money to buy her dream house. She wanted that back, but how?

"Well, maybe you can buy it now and live with Norton for the rest of your life. He's a famous Quidditch player and he earns a lot of money; I'm sure he'll like it. Like you said, it was a really nice house," Ron said with a defeated voice.

What Ron didn't say, was that he was also saving money to buy that house. It was perfect. When Hermione came to him, excited to tell him that she had found the perfect place to move in, he just politely smiled at her and agreed to look at it. However, when he saw the house and the location, he knew that this house was perfect for them and he wanted it.

It was in a muggle area, modern enough according to the muggle standards, and right next to a beautiful park. He remembered how many times he and Hermione walked in that park next to the Thames, holding hands and dreaming about the future.

The house was also quite large and Ron couldn't help but picture a family with Hermione. He already knew which room was going to be the baby's room and how he would invite his family for a visit making them barbeque in the garden, like Hermione's father had taught him. There weren't many houses nearby, just enough to create a lovely neighborhood.

"I don't want to live in that house with anyone else, Ron. It's our house...always will be," Hermione whispered, shaking him out of his reverie.

Ron didn't say anything. He just took another sip of his beer.

"I never had the chance to congratulate you on your promotion. I always told you that if you could apply yourself to something, you could make miracles. I'm really proud of you," she said beaming at him.

"Thank you. That's very nice of you," he replied, with a disheartened voice.

"I also am doing well in my job," she said, after seeing that Ron didn't bother to ask about her work.

"Good for you," he said, and Hermione was surprised with how sincere he sounded.

"Yes, I think that the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures really suits me. Unfortunately I only had a few cases, but I won them all," she said trying not to sound too cocky and Ron gave her a warm smile.

"I had no doubt. After all, you have the most brilliant mind I've ever known," he said and Hermione blushed.

"My cause is going well too, in case you're wondering. Of course, all I do is go to some parties and give a couple of speeches and interviews, but still I think it is going well. I'm really optimistic that the laws will pass," she said and she noticed the change in Ron's facial expression from calm to anger, no matter how hard he tried to hide it by drinking another sip of his beer.

She walked to the kitchen, so she could give him some space. She knew how much this issue hurt him. She saw a picture of all the Weasleys and some of their best friends on the door of the fridge and she couldn't help but smile. It was a beautiful picture of what looked like Ginny and Harry's party for their new house. She noticed Hagrid, Professor McGonagall, Luna, Neville, Hannah, Dean, Seamus, the Patil twins, and Angelina; basically, everyone they considered to be family was there.

She felt tightness in her heart when she realized that she wasn't in that picture and that Ron was the only one who wasn't smiling. He looked so hurt and miserable in that picture and it hurt her to think that she was the cause of that. She remembered what Harry told her about Ron. She remembered him telling her that Ron isolated himself from everyone after their break-up and he even stopped visiting them.

She went back to the living room and she sat on the couch. She was looking at Ron and she was waiting for him to look back at her. When, after several minutes, he finally did it, she spoke. "Why didn't you ever tell your family what happened between us?"

That set Ron off. "What exactly could I tell them, Hermione?" he snapped angrily, raising the tone of his voice for the first time in the night.

"You could tell them …the truth," she whispered.

"Yeah, it would be really cool to tell them that we got engaged, but unfortunately the bride decided to postpone the marriage, because U.S.A. had elections in five years," Ron said with a sarcastic laugh.

"I never wanted to postpone our marriage! I never wanted to lose you!" she cried, while hot tears threatened to roll down her eyes. "I just had to go. It's what I was fighting for since I was fourteen," she added with a shaky voice.

_Why does he still not understand? I had to do it_! She screamed in her thoughts feeling a lump in her throat.

"To win your heart was everything _I_ was fighting for since I was fourteen," Ron replied with a defeated voice.

Hermione felt the knife twisting in her heart. That wasn't fair! He couldn't do that to her. She was fighting for him too, since she couldn't even remember when, but that was irrelevant when they were talking about personal goals. She wouldn't object if he decided to try out for the Cannons or follow every dream he might have. She would be supportive, so why was it so difficult for him to do the same?

Hermione turned around when she felt a tear rolling down her cheek. She didn't want Ron to see her so weak.

"Why is it that you still can't understand why I went, Ron? I had to do it," she said quietly.

Ron took another sip of his beer and sighed. "I understand that, Hermione; don't think I don't. I can understand that somehow you would feel miserable and incomplete if you didn't agree to go to Boston. I understand that it was your dream and you had to do it. I understand all of that and I apologize to you for not being supportive," said Ron making Hermione turning her head to see him in surprise.

"There is something I don't understand though, Hermione. Can you explain Joshua Norton to me?" he asked her and she frowned.

She didn't know what to reply. She didn't even know why she was with Joshua, let alone to explain it to Ron. She just kept staring at him, with her mouth opening and closing every few seconds without any sound coming out.

"After everything we went through, and after all the promises we made to each other, it took you less than a year to replace me. Do you seriously have the audacity to come here and blame me for us not being together?" Ron spoke through clenched teeth.

"I stayed here, Hermione. I didn't leave. You knew where I was and you never came. You never tried. Instead, you preferred your new life and the embrace of another man. So quit with your sodding _'I needed to go and help the misfortunate creatures'_ excuse, alright?" Ron said staring at her straight in the eyes.

Hermione's eyes widened. "Are you implying that I left to find another man, Ron?"

Ron didn't say anything, but he kept staring at her. That was all the confirmation Hermione needed.

"Thank you for the vote of confidence, Ron. At least now I know what kind of a person you think I am," she said in a hurtful tone.

Ron removed his eyes off her and took a sip of his beer.

"You can't stop pretending by the way," Hermione said, causing Ron to give her a confused look.

"Do you honestly think that if you put on this mask of the strong and indifferent man, you can fool me? You can fool everyone, but not me, Ron. I know you better than myself, and I know that our past is still hurting you, like it's hurting me," she said wiping her eyes.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Hermione. I didn't know that our past is still hurting you. I must have ignored that, somewhere between your disappearance for two whole years or the appearance of that bloody ring on your finger," Ron replied sarcastically.

"Well, at least I don't hide it like you, and I waited longer than you," she replied.

"What are you talking about?"

Hermione didn't want to relive what she had witnessed a year ago, but she felt like she had to defend her choice to try to move on.

"I came to London a year ago. Harry had invited me to his and Ginny's party for their new house, but I didn't go. I knew you were going to be there and I wasn't brave enough to see you. The same day I sent a letter to Harry and declined his invitation. I cried really hard. Joshua was my only friend and when he saw me like that, he comforted me and asked me to be his girlfriend," she paused, looking at Ron who was fixing her with a cold stare.

"I refused, of course. I could never dream of myself with anyone other than you, so I made my decision and I came to see you," she said and Ron raised an eyebrow like he was surprised by what she had just told him.

"First, I went to our house and the new owners told me that you moved out and they gave me the address of this flat. I came but you weren't here, so I waited for you on that little bench next to the front door. You came hand in hand… snogging a blond girl and I ran away," Hermione said with a shaky voice. "I accepted that you had moved on and I did the same," she finished whispering.

Ron laughed with the irony. He knew what girl Hermione was referring to. It was his first one night stand out of many that came after that. If he knew that Hermione would have waited for him, he would have come home running to see her.

"Are you two still together?" she asked him and he started laughing.

"You mean with the woman you saw me with a year ago? No, we're not together. It was a one-night thing. I don't even remember her name," Ron answered truthfully, still laughing inwardly with the irony.

"Were there any other women while I was away?" she asked, fearful of his answer.

Ron sighed once again. "Hermione, I'm knackered. I don't have time for this."

"Tomorrow is Sunday, so today you can sleep a little late," Hermione pointed out.

"What does it matter, Hermione? In case you forgot, it's you who is in a serious relationship, not me," he snapped running a hand through his hair.

"Please tell me, Ron. I just need to know," said Hermione softly.

Ron wasn't prepared to make a confession but he decided to be honest. After all, he had nothing to be ashamed of. He took a deep breath.

"Well, after a year of self-pity, waiting for a letter, a phone call, a visit, or a bloody single sign that you hadn't forgotten about me, I decided to move on, or at least I tried to. That girl you saw me with that day was my first one night stand. I slept with some girls after that, but they were nothing serious. Actually, to tell you the truth, tonight was my first real date after our-," he couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence. It was too painful.

Hermione swallowed with great difficulty. Ron confirming that he was on a date was something she didn't want to hear. She knew it and she had been asking for confirmation, but actually hearing him say it was too much. Call her a masochist, but she wanted to know more.

"So how was your date tonight?" she asked him. On the inside, she was praying her that he would say it was awful.

"It was quite good actually. Nancy is a really nice girl," Ron answered.

Nancy. Her name was Nancy. She was probably some blonde dimbo with huge breasts and long legs, wearing belts instead of actual skirts.

"Is she pretty?"

Ron shook his head. "No, she's beautiful."

It was the first time she had heard the word beautiful coming out of his mouth without referring to her. It was painful, but she tried not to lose all hope, so she posed the question that she was most afraid of the answer.

"Do you like her?"

"Yes, I do actually," Ron answered looking her in the eyes.

"Are you saying that you like her as much as you liked me?" she asked quietly pleading with him inwardly to give her a negative answer.

"What do you want to know, Hermione? You want to know if you've been replaced in my heart. Is that what you want to know? Is that what you want to hear? Is that why you came here tonight…to find out if I'm over you or still pining away over our break-up?" he asked her in a demanding tone of voice.

Hermione didn't dare look at him now. Yes, that's was what she came to find out. If there was a glimmer of hope that she was still in his heart and he could maybe forget everything and be together with her again. Her silence was a clear indication that this was what she wanted to know and Ron realized that.

"Fine, Hermione. I admit it. Losing you was the most painful experience in my life. I felt worst than I felt when Fred died. I shed so many tears for you and I spent so many sleepless nights thinking about you that I have no idea how I managed to survive without going mental in the process," he admitted and his face was red with anger.

Pausing for a few seconds to calm himself, he went on. "But I did it. I survived, Hermione. I survived the first four months in the academy. I survived the next month that I was at home waiting for my first mission and secretly hoping that I would see you again. And I survived the two weeks that I was in St. Mungo's, not knowing if I was going to make it or not."

He stopped. Hermione knew that he was reliving those moments and that was hurting her probably more than him.

"Everybody was there and I knew that Harry must have told you about me. I knew you two communicated often; I wasn't stupid."

Hermione was surprised that Ron knew about it. Harry had told her that the only person who knew about her letters was Ginny.

"Come on, Hermione. Call me a liar. Tell me that you didn't know that I was in St. Mungo's fighting to stay alive," he challenged her, but she had no reply.

"I was waiting everyday for you to show up…to hold my bloody hand while they gave me one painful potion after another. I was waiting for eighteen days for you to come. You never came though," he whispered the last sentence, but in so much pain because of what she did to him, that Hermione felt like someone had stabbed her in the heart.

The tears rolling down her cheeks were her last concern. The lump in her throat was so painful that she wasn't sure if she could breathe anymore. The thought that Ron needed her and she didn't do anything to help him was more painful to her than the torture from Bellatrix.

"I thought you didn't want me. I wanted to come, Ron!" she cried.

"Then why didn't you?" he asked quietly, trying to keep it together.

"You said to leave you alone," Hermione whispered, through her sobs.

"What?"

"In that letter!" she screamed. "You said to leave you alone."

Ron snorted. "And you always do what I say, right?" was his snide remark a few seconds later.

For the next few minutes, the only sound that was heard in the flat was Hermione's sniffles. She just couldn't believe it. She had a second chance with Ron and she threw it away. All she had to do was to listen to her heart and come home as soon as Harry's letter came that day, informing her about Ron's injury. How stupid she was to follow what that letter said instead of shredding it to pieces.

And if Ron was telling the truth, she had had a third chance with him. All she had to do was to come and visit him. Well, technically, she did visit him, but the minute she saw him with another woman she fell in the arms of Joshua. If only she had swallowed her pride and gone to talk to him that night. Maybe everything would be different. Maybe they would be together and right now, and she could be planning their wedding instead.

Slowly she raised her eyes from the floor and looked at him. His eyes were glued to his beer like it was the most interesting sight. She got up from her seat and approached him with heavy feet and short steps. All the time, her eyes were on him, but he kept looking at his beer.

Hermione didn't care and didn't stop though. She wanted to hug him and kiss him with everything she had. She wanted to tell him that they could forget about everything and start over. She stopped right in front of where he was sitting, and fell to her knees. Finally, Ron removed his eyes from his beer and looked back at Hermione. She made a gesture to grab his hand, but Ron removed it before she had the chance to do it, but that didn't discourage her.

She searched his eyes to find the answer she was looking for. What she saw though, wasn't what she hoped for. Ron didn't look at her with love or any emotion. He had a blank expression and that hurt Hermione more than anything. She was terrified of his answer, but she had a burning question that she needed to ask.

"Do you still love me, Ron?"

Somewhere inside herself, Hermione was pleading with Ron to tell her that he was madly in love with her, that he couldn't live without her, so she needed to dump her soon-to-be husband, and come back to him. She would do it, if he asked her to, with no hesitation. She laughed derisively; he would never tell her anything like that, because it wasn't anywhere near the truth. She could sense it by the way he was looking or, better yet, wasn't looking at her.

Ron got up from his seat, ignoring Hermione's question and the fact that she was on her knees pleading with him for an answer. "I think it's time for you to go home. You can use the Floo through the fireplace. It's connected with your parents' house."

Hermione heard him, but she wasn't ready to go. She wanted to stay there for another minute, another hour, another day… forever.

She got up and walked again towards him next to the fireplace. Her face was inches away from his now. "I can stay… if you want me to," she whispered, breathing heavily.

For a moment, she thought she saw something spark in Ron's eyes, but maybe it was only what she wanted to see.

Ron just took a step to his right and motioned for Hermione to step into the fireplace and leave. "Goodnight, Hermione."

Hermione was on the verge of tears again, but she controlled herself this time. She whispered a goodnight to Ron and then she took a handful of Floo powder, stepped into the fireplace and travelled home.

Ron kept staring at his fireplace for ten minutes after she left. His vision was blurry and he didn't know why. Only when he put his hands to his face did he realize that tears were filling his eyes too. He hadn't shed tears for almost two years. He had forgotten how they felt on his skin. He didn't know if being able to shed tears again was a good or bad thing.

Wiping his tears away with his shirt, he walked back to his living room and collapsed on the sofa. Hermione's visit was too much for him. He didn't want to think about what she said. He didn't want to start hoping. He didn't want to think anything. All he wanted to do was to close his eyes and sleep. And that was exactly what he did.

* * *

**A/N:** I hope it was good. To be honest, I don't know when I'm going to update. The only unharmed part of my body is my stupid left hand which I never used in the past. It takes too much physical and mental energy to sit and write. I already started writing my new chapter and I hope soon will be finished. I don't know how long it's going to take me, but I'm going to finish this story even if it takes me years to do it. Thank you :D


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